When we are Broken, We will not Win
by Lp37451
Summary: The Avengers are broken, but with the impending doom of Thanos the Mad Titan they will have to reunite to fight for the universe. But the past keeps on coming up to choke them. How will they work together when they don't even understand each other? Avengers watch the movies fic! M because I'm paranoid A/N isn't a WTM fic or the first 10 chapters or so.
1. Chapter 1

Tony stared at himself in the mirror. He looked horrible. He was paler than usual and thinner as well, he kept on forgetting to eat recently, too busy trying to ignore the dread of today. He knew that he would have to meet with the rogue avengers because of the impending threat of Thanos but that didn't make everything fine and dandy. He was flying to Wakanda in a couple of hours with Strange, Wong, and the Spiderling. Rhodey had already left along with Vision to see about getting the mind gem removed from his head and Bruce who had arrived with Thor, Loki, and a whole lot of Asgardian refugee's. They had all gone to Wakanda except Thor who went to see Jane Foster and make sure she was safe then would meet them in Wakanda. Tony sighed splashing his face with water. He was too tired to attempt to conceal the bags under his eyes well some he just slid on some dark sunglasses. Not that he cared that the rogues knew about his regular regime of sleeping barely 12 hours a week. It was kind of hard to sleep with the nightmares, and the dread, and the mild pain from the arc reactor which didn't bother him that much anymore since he just had to get used to it again it was more his hand that bothered him it was still stiff and painful from frostbite gotten after his 'excursion' to Siberia. He had got a new version of the arc attached to his artificial sternum which had snapped in Siberia, he shuddered thinking of the cold, depressing place he had nearly died in, anyway the new arc had his suit directly attached to it so it could just form over his body, no muss, no fuss. Leaving his room, Tony grabbed an apple from the kitchen and began to walk down to his lab to work on some of the projects for SI he had piling up and to delay the inevitable meeting. Munching on the apple he skimmed through his To Do list he saw that there were lots of projects on there for the rogues from when they were still Avengers. He scrolled the long list for a second before moving all of the projects centred on the rogues into the trash. T'challa probably made them new gear anyway. Tony sighed tossing the apple core into the bin before starting his next project.

"Boss?" came the voice of FRIDAY over the speakers.

"Yeah Fri?" he replied, fingers moving fast over a keyboard.

"You're running late for meeting with Dr Strange to go to Wakanda," the AI said sounding kind of angry as she said is, not at Tony, but at the fact that he had to work with the people that had almost killed him. Tony's lip quirked at the protectiveness of his AI before sighing stood up closing the project he had been working on, pocketing his Sunglasses and heading out of his lab.

"Did Happy call a car?" He asked.

"Mr Hogan is with Ms Potts at a conference in Japan this week."

"Ah, right" Tony sighed leaving the Compound he heard the tiny buzz as FRIDAY turned on his earpiece. He activated the armour and the newest suit immediately began spreading out of the arc and covering his body. Tony blinked as the HUD flickered to life in front of his eyes and took off.

A short while later he landed in front of the Sanctum in New York. Ignoring the gasps and whispers of the people around him as the armour retracted into the arc, Tony put on the sunglasses and entered the building. He had barely entered when the excited voice of Peter confronted him as he practically bounced towards him. Tony couldn't help it he smiled as he saw the kid who idolized him, even after everything he had done.

"Mr Stark! Hi! Dr Strange was planning on teleporting straight to the Compound if you didn't show up soon. Do you think that T'challa will let us use one of the labs in Wakanda? I heard their tech is super awesome. Will he let us use some vibranium? Cause I wanted to-"

"Woah, slow down their kid. I'm sure that T'challa will answer all your questions when we get there and I thought I told you that you can call me Tony? Mr Stark always make me sound older than I am. Besides you're an Avenger now so enough with the formalities." As they walked towards out of the landing to the staircase where Strange was waiting. Peter looked like he was going to faint after hearing himself be proclaimed an Avenger and allowed to call him Tony in the same sentence.

"Thank you so much, Mr S- Tony. I got the new armour by the way and it is so cool" They continued to talk until they reached the stairs and they were greeted by Wong the strict-ish librarian and Strange's friend who.

"Tony." greeted Strange and Wong nodded at them.

"Strange" Tony replied and motioned for Peter to introduce himself.

"I'm Peter," he said looking awed at everything around them.

"Dr Stephen Strange." Strange replied amused by Peter's excitement.

"Wong" came the calm voice of Wong standing next to Strange.

"So are we going to hop into your magical portal or what?" Tony said clapping his hands together. Peter was looking so eager to see magic that his eyes were nearly popping out of his head and he was smiling at Strange and Wong nervously. Strange then raised an eyebrow at Tony and then began making a circling motion with his hands and soon enough a gold sparkly circle was conjured and they could see what was obviously Wakanda on the other side Tony could already see T'challa moving towards them with a couple of people.

"Wow" whispered Peter in awe. They stepped through the portal.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter looked back and saw the glowing circle vanish behind them. This was all so awesome. He had just stepped through a magical portal and gone halfway across the world, and magic was real and everything was so amazing right now. He looked excitedly at the approaching party to see the person he recognized from Germany as The Black Panther, AKA T'challa the king of Wakanda. Who was flanked by three women. One appeared to be a sort of guard and was carrying a spear, another resembled T'challa so Peter assumed they were related and the other person to his right Peter had no clue about.

"Your Highness," said Tony in greeting.

"Mr Stark," replied T'challa, smiling slightly. "This is Okoye," he indicated the woman holding the spear, "Nakia," He indicated the woman to his right, "and Shuri" Shuri rolled her eyes amused.

"I can introduce myself, brother." She said smiling. "I have been examining your friend, Vision, with Dr Banner." she directed at them.

"Have you found a way to remove the mind gem?" questioned Dr Strange. At this Shuri smirked, "Come inside i'll show you my work" Peter followed as everyone began heading towards the beautiful wakandan palace where they would be staying while the plans were made. Peter glanced at Tony, his mentor, idol, and hero, he knew something had to be wrong. After all, he had heard vaguely what happened in Siberia and how the Captain had almost killed him. He had been worried after they hadn't been able to locate him for 2 days and when they finally did he had been lying broken and hurt in a freezing Hydra base with plenty of injuries and after the cooling fluid in his armour for the repulsors had gotten over his arm in the fight he also had frostbite that could've cost him his hand. He was probably apprehensive at seeing the rogues again. Hell, Peter would freakin run the other way. But even if the world didn't think so, Tony Stark was selfless, not selfish and would put the world's needs against his own.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhodey knew that Tony had arrived that day but hadn't seen him since he had gone to his room. Worried that his friend would be freaking out he started up to Tony's room. Passing a doorway he heard his name called out.

"Rhodey?" Natasha called, "You might want to start heading to the meeting room." there are only 15 minutes before the meeting is starting." She stared at him probably because he was going in the opposite direction to the meeting room. Even though she had initially fought with them in the civil war Rhodey couldn't help lacking trust in her after she had let the Captain and Bucky get away resulting in one of his best friends more recent near-death experiences.

"I was just going to see Tony. Haven't seen him since he arrived." He replied calmly watching for her reaction. As usual, she didn't show much emotion except for a softening in her expression.

"How's he doing?" Natasha asked. Rhodey's face hardened at that.

"He's even more fucked up than usual. So thanks for your hand in that and goodbye." He turned away and continued to Tony's room not looking back to see how his words had affected Natasha. He sighed he didn't mean to sound cruel but after Siberia Tony had become even more distant and mistrusting than he already had been only letting in a few people apart from himself including Pepper, Bruce, and Peter. Reaching the door he heard pacing footsteps and ragged breathing. Rhodey knocked.

"Tones you in there?" he asked after there was no acknowledgement of the knock. Still no reply. Rhodey then pushed open the door to find Tony pacing the length of his room looking panicked.

"Hey, Tony, you all right." Then inwardly cursed himself. Of course, he's not alright he's meeting his traitorous friends in a couple of minutes. But Tony had stopped pacing at that and turned to look at him. Tony looked like he hadn't slept for days and considerably older than when Rhodey had departed for Wakanda barely a week ago.

"I-I'm freaking out here Rhodes. Really fucking freaking out." He ran his fingers through his hair. "They all hate me and some want me dead and I'm meeting them. Why am I doing this? Goddammit, why does the universe have to be in danger now and not when the Avengers were still together." Tony rambled and then sat down on his bed head in his hands. Moving over to the bed Rhodey sat down beside him.

"Who gives a shit man. You only have to do this until we save the world or whatever and then you don't have to see them again if you don't want to." He rubbed Tony's back in comfort. "Besides you only have to see them at work not outside of it or anything. Hell, you could stay in the opposite end of the Palace if you asked T'challa." He smiled as Tony lifted his head and sighed calming down.

"I am so messed up Rhodes." He said flopping back onto the bed. "So mentally fucked up."

"Well," Rhodey said smiling sadly. "You could always get the therapist Pepper is bugging you about." Tony stared at him incredulously.

"Platypus, if I got a therapist then they would need a therapist after hearing all my shit." Rhodey snorted rolling his eyes.

"Anyway let's get this shitty meeting over with then." He said standing up and waiting as Tony straightened his suit and put his sunglasses back on. They walked into the meeting room in almost silence and Rhodey could practically hear Tony's heart jumping out of his chest as he approached the room. Arriving at the door, they paused Tony sighed and pushed open the door strolling inside. The room went quiet as everyone looked at Tony as he came in and sat down.

"Hi Tony," Bruce said breaking the silence and smiling at Tony.

"Hey Brucie-bear, glad to see you're doing okay in the calm, stress-free," he lingered on those words, "environment of Wakanda. Everyone in the room was staring during this exchange.

"Tony," The Captain said hesitantly.

"Rogers" Tony replied looking away. Rhodey looked at everyone in the room. Clint, Wanda, and Scott were staring daggers at Tony avoided their eyes. Sam looked uncertainty around, Vision was looking at everyone, in turn, Natasha kept on glancing at Tony while Bucky stared intently at the floor as if he had to memorize every detail to survive, and Steve was staring at Tony, a mixture of guilt and a little bit of hope on his face. The men who Rhodey assumed were Dr Strange and Wong were muttering to each other at the end of the table. Tony was tapping his fingers on the table and it was one of the only sounds heard in the awkward silence that filled the room. Then the silence was interrupted when Peter came into the room.

"Uh, Hey everyone," he said awkwardly obviously torn between wanting to freak out at the fact he was in a room full of superheroes and being loyal to Tony decidedly he wandered over to the seat next to Tony and Rhodey.

"Who's the kid?" asked Steve confused.

"Uh," said Peter, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Peter, and, um, I'm Spiderman"


	4. Chapter 4

Saying Steve was shocked would be an understatement. He had found out that the Spider person, who he beat up in Germany was actually a kid who looked to be around 15 or 16 and this was not what he expected. He felt shame for hitting a kid add to the shame he already felt for the whole civil war fiasco.

"How old are you," Steve asked positively bewildered.

"I'm almost 17" Peter replied awkwardly.

"Wow, Stark." drawled Clint, "Great job bringing a kid into a fight against space satan." Peter reddened.

"For your information Hawkass, Tony didn't want me to come since it would be too dangerous but I got him to. So it isn't his fault!" snapped Peter defending his mentor, said mentor's lip twitched at the remark. Clint raised an eyebrow at Peter. Steve pursed his lips at that unsure who to defend. Luckily before anything else could happen the door opened again and Thor was standing in the doorway. Everyone stared at him for a few seconds.

"Damn, Thor, what happened to your eye?" asked Clint his eyes widening a little. Thor smiled.

"To put it simply, My sister, the goddess of death destroyed Mjolnir and captured Asgard. So we initiated Ragnarok my sister blinded me and we left with Asgard to leave my sister fighting Surtur for the rest of eternity." everyone gaped at him for a second except for Bruce who smiled grimly, but then Clint suddenly looked very angry.

"What's he doing here?" he spat looking at the person standing behind Thor. I then noticed it was Loki.

"No need to fear, friend Barton, my brother is joining us to fight against the Mad Titan." Clint didn't stop the anger evident on his face. "If he harms us then he will answer for it." Loki grimaced for a couple of seconds.

"Do not worry Barton, I don't expect any of you to be nice to me. It would be suspicious if so." Loki said almost tiredly.

"Is something the matter?" asked Thor confused. "Everyone is really tense and keeps glaring at friend Stark." Tony sighed at that.

"You missed a lot while gone Point Break. Things happened." He didn't explain anymore. Finally, T'challa entered with Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye this ended the silence and meant everyone was there. Dr Strange spoke after everyone was seated.

"We have found that the Mad Titan, Thanos, is speeding up his collection of the infinity stones. Earth will be a prime target since we are in possession of three infinity stones. The Mind stone," he gestured to Vision, "The Time Stone," he pointed at an amulet around his neck, "and if I am correct, The Space Stone." At that, he looked expectantly at Loki and Thor who looked at each other seeming to have a conversation with their eyes before Loki sighed pulling the Tesseract out from under his cloak and placing it on the table. Everyone immediately tensed Steve felt anger and fear bubble in his gut. Why does this damn thing have to be in every problem we have? Those who had been in the Battle of New York also had anger written on their faces, except Natasha, who barely showed emotion anyway, and Tony, who almost seemed to be attempting to move away from it. Dr Strange ignored them all and continued, "I have discussed with Shuri about her plans to remove the Mind Gem from Vision safely and soon this will happen. After that, we should either find a safe place to put them or have certain people look after them." People were nodding along with this.

"When will the intergalactic space raisin arrive then?" asked Tony sounding almost bored. But then again, he almost always did. Spider-kid snorted at that description of Thanos but managed to mostly pass it off as clearing his throat.

"He will be looking for the other stones first most likely since he is already in space. The Reality Stone I left with the Collector and I have heard that the Power Stone is with the Nova Corps on Xandar. The Soul Stone is lost so he might spend time looking for that." Thor explained, "We could have anywhere from him arriving in a week to him arriving in a year. Maybe even longer."

"Last I heard was Thanos's ship had been spotted near the remains of Asgard. They were probably looking for the Tesseract." pondered Dr Strange.

"Are we planning on preparing somehow?" asked Rhodey.

"I was thinking that Stark could work with Shuri and Dr Banner on some technology. Their minds together would create some amazing things so we can be more prepared equipment wise." Said T'challa, the three people in question nodded.

"If you allow me the time then I can create a permanent portal to New York so we can have some quick travel between the two places Thanos is more likely to attack and have a quick response team." Dr Strange suggested T'challa nodded at this idea.

"Any other ideas?" No one said anything. "The Wakandan army has maybe 15,000 people all well-trained and ready to fight." T'challa paused as if waiting for someone to continue.

"I have maybe 50 different models of the suit and have a total of around 100 suits all suitable for battle. I would have more but I blew them up," said Tony. Steve noticed that his fingers were softly tapping a frantic beat on the table.

"You blew them up?" asked Natasha and at the same time Sam asked, "Do you ever sleep?" Before Tony could answer Clint snarled,

"Of course he never sleeps. Sleep is for the weak isn't it Stark?" Tony's fingers began tapping a more complex frantic beat.

"On the Contrary," he replied calmly. "Now if we are done then." He stood up only to be greeted by Clint who stood up in front of him.

"Not quite Stark." Uh Oh, Steve thought, "I demand an apology for myself and the other 'Rogue' Avengers. For both Germany and the raft and the entire incident in general." Rhodey stood up too.

"Clint," he warned but Clint ignored him.

"It's fine Rhodes. I expected this." Tony sighed. "I apologize for trying to not get us all arrested and killed and then following the orders of the Government. I also apologize for not knowing about the raft prison they locked you up in until after the arrest and then let you escape from. So if that's all" Instead of trying to get past Clint, he turned around and Steve saw his suit begin to form on him like liquid metal. He took off his sunglasses and Steve got the briefest glimpse of his eyes. They looked tired, masked by dark shadows, and very panicked which greatly disturbed Steve. He exited the room onto the balcony and flew into the Wakandan sky. Everyone was quiet for a moment before Spider-kid who had been looking terrified and angry throughout the argument stood up.

"Um, Rhodey? Should I…" He pointed towards where Tony had just taken off. Rhodey sighed, glaring at Clint and nodded. Peter pressed something on his wrist and his suit formed around him too this one looked new, metallic, and shining. He then walked out to the balcony and jumped off the edge after Tony.


	5. Chapter 5

"Of course he never sleeps. Sleep is for the weak isn't it Stark?" Tony's fingers began tapping a more complex frantic beat, _No, No, No, No, No, No-_

"On the Contrary," he replied calmly. _Sleep is for the healthy, sleep is for the worthy, sleep is for the strong._ "Now if we are done then." He stood up only to be greeted by Clint who stood up in front of him. _Not this, Not now, please-_

"Not quite Stark. I demand an apology for myself and the other 'Rogue' Avengers. For both Germany and the raft and the entire incident in general." Rhodey stood up too.

"Clint," he warned but Clint ignored him.

"It's fine Rhodes. I expected this." Tony sighed when in reality he wanted to scream. "I apologize for trying to not get us all arrested and killed and then following the orders of the Government. I also apologize for not knowing about the raft prison they locked you up in until after the arrest and then let you escape from." _I apologize for letting myself get beaten to practical death by two super soldiers._ Underneath his Sunglasses his eyes flicked to both of them, Steve was staring at them with fear, and Bucky was still staring at the floor. Tony felt panic rise like bile in his throat, his chest gave a twinge of pain at the memories. _Was it always so hot in here?_ "So if that's all" Tony turned around and initiating his suit he tried to take his sunglasses off without anyone getting a good look at his eyes. He practically ran outside and took off. He didn't know where he was flying to all he knew was he had to get away from there. Where the others were. Judging him.

"Boss?" came FRIDAY's voice in the back of his mind, "Your heart rate is abnormally high. Should I alert someone?" _No,_

"No" he managed to choke out. The air seemed thick all of a sudden, stuffy. He couldn't breathe. Looking down Tony saw a jungle almost underneath him. He shot down so fast one might've thought he was falling. Deactivating his suit a foot above the ground, Tony fell to his knees wheezing. His chest stung his head ached and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. _No…_ His mind was echoing with memories of loss and pain.

"Jericho…" _No,_

"Made of iron…" _No,_

"Take that away and what are you?" _Worthless,_

"Nuke coming in" _So cold,_

"He's my friend." _So was I, So was I, So was I, So was I,_

Images flashed through his mind, death, destruction by his hands, pain, cold, space, so cold, more pain, Rhodey falling, Cap's shield coming down, breaking him open, so, much pain. The past a neverending echo in his head. The constant screaming of memories. Then all of a sudden.

"Mr St-Tony?" came the cautious voice of Peter breaking through the horror. Tony opened his eyes. He had been leaning against a tree head in his hands. Looking up he saw Peter looking at him concerned the last traces of his suit disappearing into the bracelets on his wrists. _What was he doing here? Peter's just a kid. I brought him here to fight a space god bent on death. He'll die. It will be all my fault._ Peter just sighed and sat down next to him and started talking. He just talked about school, his Aunt's horrible cooking, Star Wars, and anything not related to the Avengers/Rogues/Revengers or whoever they were these days. Tony sighed calming down glad the kid was there to fill the silence that had been eating away at him along with the thoughts, and memories. But he shouldn't worry about that now. Finally calm enough to move Tony stood up offering the kid his hand to pull him to his feet.

"Thanks for that kid." He smiled. "Instead of heading back right now do you want to go for a joyride in around the Kitty King's Kingdom?" Peter beamed.

"Of course M-Tony!" They promptly activated their suits and Tony took off, the kid swinging behind him.

 **Peter POV**

Jumping off the edge of the balcony Peter could feel a bubbling anger in his stomach. Why did Hawkeye have to be so annoying? Didn't he or the others appreciate Tony letting them stay in his home and use his money and tech for years? How Tony had protected his and Scott's families from Ross? Pushing the anger aside Peter spun through the air shooting a web at a nearby building and spinning gracefully around it. In the distance, he saw the red figure that was Tony shoot towards a jungle. Quickly Peter spun to the trees and slid down a branch. Landing on the ground he saw Tony, his suit already retracted into the arc reactor, sitting on the ground head in his hands, his breathing ragged.

"Mr St-" _oops,_ "Tony?" he asked tentatively, his suit sliding back into his bracelets. Tony looked up. His eyes were wide and terrified, the paleness of his skin emphasizing the shadows under his eyes, _He probably hasn't slept in days._ Peter sighed as he saw his mentor in such a state. _He should just ask for help._ Peter plopped down on the ground next to Tony, pulling his legs into a cross-legged position. He began to talk about random things, Tony had said once that this might help. Finally, Tony stood up shakily.

"Thanks for that kid." He said smiling. "Instead of heading back right now do you want to go for a joyride in around the Kitty King's Kingdom?" Glad that Tony was a bit better Peter jumped to his feet beaming.

"Of course M-Tony!" Peter said pressing the button on his bracelet and activating his suit as Tony did the same. As they flew/swung into the air Peter couldn't get the worry for the man flying next to him, who was still visibly shaken, who Peter, even though he really wanted to, couldn't help.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the new chapter, Thor, Natasha, and Wanda this time!**

 **Thor POV**

"What the _hell,_ was that," growled Bruce, barely containing Hulk as he glared at Clint. Most had left the room except for, Thor, Bruce, Clint, Steve, Natasha, Rhodey, Bucky, Vision, and Wanda.

"Banner," warned Thor, "I do not understand why Barton said those things but we don't need anything smashed." Bruce took a deep breath.

"What did he react like that" asked Steve quietly, guilt etched on his face.

"Oh, I don't know." snarled Rhodey, "Obviously it didn't have anything to do with one of the few people he considered friends betraying him, bashing his chest in, and leaving him to die in a frozen wasteland." With every word, Steve appeared to shrink deeper into his seat. Thor was confused and worried about his friend.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Rhodey began to speak, not taking his glare from the Captain.

"Almost two years ago, the Government wanted the Avengers to sign this document thing, the Sokovia Accords, that meant that we operated under the Government, to prevent damage and loss. _Some_ people," he glared in turn at, Steve, Wanda, Clint and his eyes flicked to Natasha. "Thought that it was a stupid idea and thought it was better to become criminal's than give up their control problems." His eyes lingered on Steve, "Tony, along with most everyone else, thought it was time to be put in check. Especially after Ultron. Then several things happened, including a fight which ended in all on Rogers side being apprehended, and me getting paralyzed." Vision closed his eyes at that. "After Tony found out about how the Rogues were being treated and some other things. He went to Siberia to try and reason with Rogers. Then a fight broke out between him, Rogers and Barnes. I don't know the details but the fight ended with the _Captain,"_ his voice dripped with sarcasm, "leaving him in Siberia with a broken suit. So, things aren't really on the best of terms between everyone." Thor was wide-eyed by the end of this. Before long anger sparked inside of him.

"You left a comrade to die?" he asked, his voice deadly calm, but the lightning sparking around his clenched fists gave away his anger.

"I- I didn't mean to," Steve replied quietly, at least he had the decency to look ashamed.

"You didn't mean to?" growled Bruce, eyes green. Steve stared at the ground.

"You never leave someone behind. Ever." Thor said, his voice still a deadly calm. But Steve almost cowered as in the depths of the angry god's remaining eye a blue glow shone and thunder was heard in the distance. "How I could ever follow someone so dishonourable, I do not know." with that, he left the room, not wanting to destroy the palace with lightning. The anger crackled inside him. He was supposed to be friends with Stark, and yet he had almost killed him. Even Thor, who understood how weak humans could be, knew that Rogers could've killed Stark like that. Thor found himself walking into the hallway that contained the room's his people were staying in. Walking to the end of the hall he reached the small adjoining common rooms and went into the one no one visibly was in. Fuming he wrung his hands. Eye shining blue.

"Well brother," came a calm voice from the corner of the room, "You seem angry." Turning Thor saw Loki lounging in a dark green armchair, eyes closed.

"Stating the obvious again are we Loki?" Thor replied pacing in the room in an attempt to not blow up Wakanda with a mass of lightning.

"I was merely making an observation," Loki stated cooly, opening his eyes slightly before closing them again. "Bad day?"

"I have found that some of the Avengers have betrayed friend Anthony without even apologizing for the mistakes." Thor's eye glowed brighter. "I leave Midgard for a couple of years and returning I find the Avengers at each other's throats!"

"It is only natural for their species," Loki said maintaining his usual calm though his brother was feet away about to zap everyone into oblivion if he didn't calm down. Opening his eyes fully he continued. "Human's will always find something to fight about even the _best_ among them." Thor glared at Loki for the comment, lightning crackling brightly around his fists. Warily Loki sat up. "You should find a way to control your power now that Mjolnir is gone." Thor's face flashed grief briefly for his beloved hammer. "Heimdall can send you to Nidavellir, you can get a new weapon from Eitri, the Thanos killing kind, and then we may have a slightly better chance against him as well as you not blowing up all the Midgardians by accident." Thor considered this, it was quite a good idea. Eitri could make him a weapon more formidable than Mjolnir, but he would have to be back quickly before the Avengers killed one another, hopefully, Banner, the constant voice of reason, would stop them. The bright of his eye dying down, Thor smiled at Loki.

"I'm glad you are with us now Brother, even if it is probably for a short period of time such as before, that was quite the idea. I must speak with Heimdall." With that, he turned and left the room to seek Heimdall to summon the Bifrost and go to Nidavellir.

 **Natasha POV**

Most everyone had left the room. This left only Steve, Clint, Wanda, Bucky, herself, and Vision. Who just looked sadly around at them all before exiting via a wall. Everyone just sat in silence for a moment, or two, or maybe a thousand.

"Um, What just happened?" asked Clint, his tone conveying a tiny bit of worry, or maybe Natasha was imagining it.

"You were a bit harsh Clint," Natasha said in her usual calm tone, beneath her mask though she had worry churning for her friend, or enemy, or colleague or whoever Tony was considered now.

"Why did he react like that?" questioned Steve in worry. _God, is everyone here gullible? Why do you think?_

"Did Stark react in a special way?" grumbled Wanda. "Or did he just leave the meeting without permission and blame everything on us like usual?" Natasha glared at her for several seconds before closing her eyes cursing herself for her ignorance.

"Whatever, you guys can sit in here and dwell on the shining God that is Tony Stark, I'm leaving." Clint stood up leaving the room, Wanda followed behind him. Everyone continued to sit in silence.

"Did you see his eyes," whispered Steve, "he hasn't slept in days." Natasha opened her eyes looking at him. _PTSD,_ Natasha realized. _SHIELD mentioned he refused to see a therapist since Afghanistan and probably also won't talk to Rhodey or Pepper since he wouldn't want to burden them or anything. Crap._

Natasha then realized that no one had said anything for the past minute after Steve's Statement.

"He never did sleep much though," Natasha reassured him, _No need to worry Steve if I'm wrong._ "He probably just is constantly building things in preparation for Thanos." Steve pursed his lips at this idea. He seemed to accept this possibility. Natasha was considering leaving the room taking in the fact the silence had resumed when Bucky spoke up for the first time since the meeting started.

"What did he mean?" Natasha and Steve stared at him. "After Clint accused Tony of not sleeping because it was for the weak, he said 'On the contrary.' Did you guys notice that?" Natasha thought about this, she had noticed of course but not really processed it at the time considering what had been going on at the time.

"Does Tony think himself weak?" Blanched Steve. _It would make sense considering how he acted after figuring out terrorists had his weapons. Self-hate could be an effect of that. But seriously? Tony Stark? How could he of all people hate himself?_ Natasha pondered although accepted the possibility.

"We should help him somehow." Stated Steve in determination, preparing to stand up.

"I don't think we could do anything." Said Bucky returning to his examination of the floor. "After what happened I doubt Tony trusts any of the 'Rogues' us least of all." Natasha sighed, "We need to regain his trust if that's even an option any more and we need to stop the others being so hostile towards him. We can explain the situation to the others and for Clint and Scott maybe we could organize a way for them to see their families so they don't have much of a reason to be on edge." Natasha stood up, preparing to leave the room, "You need to make an apology Steve," Steve looked at her,

"I did! I sent a letter." Natasha rolled her eyes at him.

"A letter? You think that will suffice? Apologize to Tony in person, but don't corner him or anything. Don't try to explain why you did the things you did, he knows why. Just apologize." With that, she turned and left the room.

 **Wanda POV:**

Wanda and Clint walked down the hallway to their rooms in silence. Clint still fuming about the events of everything that had happened. Wanda was feeling troubled about it though. She had never liked Stark, because of his bombs killing her family. She wouldn't forgive him for that, not completely. Then he built Ultron, which he didn't mean to so she didn't blame him for that especially since she was at major fault there too. What had just happened in the meeting was especially troubling. Due to her powers, Wanda could always feel a whiff of other's emotions. During the entire meeting, Stark had an overwhelming feeling of panic and fear had quickly clouded everyone in the room, this worried Wanda, even if she was angry with Stark she was thankful he had helped create Vision, especially since he had majorly created his mind. Wanda knew how much Vision cared for him and Wanda cared for _loved?_ Vision. Now that she thought about it during her time knowing Stark there had always been a sense of fear and a misery that came from him despite his arrogant attitude. Pondering this Wanda didn't notice that Clint said something until he nudged her.

"Wanda?" Wanda quickly snapped back to reality and looked at him. Raising an eyebrow he spoke again. "I was just asking if you agree with Natasha that I was harsh on Stark." Wanda hummed vaguely not wanting to answer but Clint interpreted that as a no she didn't agree. "Why would they take his side!" Clint growled. "After everything, he still hasn't changed, arrogant, selfish, downright annoying…" He stopped as they turned the corner and came face to face with Vision, Wanda paled.

"Vis, we didn't me-" but the look on Vision's face stopped her.

"No, Wanda, let's let Mr Barton finish his sentence." He said turning his face of Clint who looked uncomfortable under Visions gaze.

"Um," he managed, trying to look anywhere but Vision's eyes.

"Well, if you do not want to, I guess we will have to play it back." Vision said coolly. "FRIDAY, were you recording?" Clint looked even more uncomfortable and Wanda paled more staring at her hands as FRIDAY's voice came out of nowhere. Presumably, she had managed to get into Wakanda's systems.

"Of course." Somehow the AI managed to sound angry and professional at the same time, much like her creator, despite lacking physical being.

"Why would they take his side!" Clint's voice came out of the ceiling. "After everything, he still hasn't changed, arrogant, selfish, downright annoying…"

"Thank you FRIDAY." Vision said quietly. "Why did you say this?"

"Well," muttered Clint his rage returning. "Because he is! He's just a billionaire who decided to get some more fame by joyriding in a metal suit!" Wanda winced. Looking at Vision hoping to convey how she disagreed with Clint but saw Vision had his eyes closed.

"Only one word you said in that sentence was right Mr Barton," said Vision, eyes still closed. "Which was billionaire obviously. But none of what you have said apart from that was true. Mr Stark has done more for you than you realise." Clint rolled his eyes at that. "Have you forgotten that he let you into his home? Let you use his money and equipment? Or that he kept your family safe from Secretary Ross before his arrest?" Clint blinked at that. "Or maybe you did not know. Either way, you should not keep a conflict alive when it is past." Clint began to mumble something incomprehensible. Wanda hoped it was an apology, she could feel the guilt surrounding him. Or maybe it was her own? She didn't know. Vision then phased right through them and continued down the hallway. Wanda hesitated and then ran after him.

"Vis?" she said seeing him pause for a millisecond before turning into a common room to his left. Wanda followed.

"Vis?" she tried again, "Vision. Let me explain-"

"Explain what Wanda? I think you said plenty."

"Please, Vision. That was Clint." She pleaded, "I didn't, I don't think that of Stark."

"I saw your expression during the meeting Wanda. You were glaring at Mr Stark for most of the meeting." Wanda looked at her hands again.

"I was angry, I admit that I might still be. But I don't hate him." _Was that true?_

"That is understandable." Vision replied.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." She begged. She couldn't lose Vision as well.

"It's not my forgiveness you need." He began to walk past her to the door. "It's his."

 **So, Thow will be headed to Nidavellir soon and I need some opinions. Should he pick up the Guardians on the way there or back?**

 **Next Chapter will be out the same day next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bruce POV**

Bruce was seething as he walked down to the Wakandan labs where he was supposed to meet the Princess to continue their work on getting Vision's stone out of his head. Well he would more be working on other things since Shuri probably already finished the work while he was walking down the stairs. It was quite embarrassing to be outsmarted by a 16 year old. Reaching the lab he found that his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Dr Banner," Shuri said smiling at him. "I took the liberty of finishing the work on the mind stone while you were upstairs. I have figured by programming the synapses to work collectively we will be able to remove it." Bruce stared for a second, _that would work._

"Huh, yeah," He muttered. "That would work." Shuri looked down at the tablet in her hands.

"I have informed Vision and we can get started as soon as he is ready." She glanced at him. "You should know, this is the equivalent of a major brain surgery so there is the chance of complications." Bruce nodded,

"I know, the others understand that there will be risks as well, since you seem to have that covered i'll go find Tony." Though as soon as he finished that sentence Tony and Peter walked in. Bruce sighed in relief.

"Tony, are you okay." he asked in worry. Tony smirked clapping him on the shoulder.

"Everything's fine Brucie-Bear no need to get all green. Now, have you guys figured out Vision's fix yet?" Shuri smiled walking over.

"The stone can be removed by programming the synapses to work collectively." Tony smiled back at her. Taking off his sunglasses and pocketing them. Bruce tried not to notice the dark shadows under his eyes. Tony spoke.

"Great job, you successfully figured it out! In almost record time too." Bruce rubbed his nose bridge.

"Tony, please don't tell me you knew already and didn't tell us."

"Well Brucie, I figured it out a while back but knew I didn't have the tools for the best version possible of the procedure and Vis was already scheduled to come here. After all I had heard that the princess was a genius as well and felt like testing her skills." he smirked then directed at Shuri, "Impressive work by the way. If you hadn't gotten the advantage of living in an already super advanced science city I may of admitted you were the smartest person here. But alas." Tony mock sighed, "The older you get the wiser." Shuri raised an eyebrow playfully smirking back.

"Glad I passed your test. If I wasn't already one of the smartest people in the world I might of been excited by that. But, being the head of Wakanda's technology and science department can get distracting." While they were battling about who was smarter Peter turned to Bruce.

"Hi Dr Banner." Peter said holding out his hand and smiling widely. "It's super nice to meet you. I really like your work and the Hulk is super awesome." Bruce took his hand and smiled this meeting reminding him of one from years ago, _You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster._

"Thanks, you're Peter right?" he asked hoping his information wasn't false. Luckily judging by the look of utter excitement on his face it wasn't.

"Y-yeah. It is!" Peter said.

"If you could please finish chatting and tell me why you asked me here it would be much appreciated." came a voice from the door. Bruce turned to see Dr Stephen Strange there. "I do have a lot to do today so hurrying along." Tony strode towards him.

"Gandalf, you're here. Since you seem to be setting up lots of magical doorway things or whatever today, I was wondering if you could set one up to my lab in the compound." Strange sighed,

"Really Stark? I have more important things to do."

"And yet, it would be a quick way to get to my suits, so…" Strange sighed again, he then seemed to glide to a relatively empty corner of the room. Peter watched in excitement and Bruce in curiosity as Strange moved his hands in specific motions and gold energy symbols appeared around him, then he spun his hand in a circle and a circular doorway that revealed the lab appeared behind it.

"All done, now, goodbye." said Strange exasperated heading towards the door, on the way bowing his head slightly in respect for the Princess who just rolled her eyes at all the formality.

"All right!" said Tony excited moving towards the circle and stepping through. He was greeted by a flurry of beeps and Bruce watched in amusement as Dummy, U, and Butterfingers zoomed up to him and began chirping and poking him seemingly in worry. "Chill guys," he said rubbing the metal arm of Dummy, "I've been gone for only 32 hours." Bruce sighed. Of course he had counted. He spotted Shuri looking at the bots in amusement as well, Peter however had gone through the portal too, rubbed Butterfingers arm vaguely and headed to a mini fridge Bruce saw next to a coffee machine in the corner of the lab. He came back later with a couple of soda's gave one to Shuri and asked Bruce if he wanted anything.

"Um, I'm fine thanks." he murmured. Tony looked back at his voice.

"Come now Brucie, let me show you my new suits." Bruce nodded and hesitantly stepped through the glowing circle into Tony's lab. Tony then sent the bots off to continue whatever they were doing and motioned for Shuri to come as well. She shrugged and followed. They walked to a staircase in another corner of the room and headed down into a circular underground room filled with alcohol (of course) with a circle in the center of the floor.

"Fri, open up the hall would you?" Tony asked stepping onto the circle the others followed suit.

"You got it boss." came the voice of FRIDAY from wherever the speakers were. The circular floor began to rotate down. Bruce gaped, that was a lot of suits. As they descended lights shone on either side of each suit. The suits stood next to one another clearly marked by model in large shining letters. Bruce turned slowly in a circle admiring the view.

"So the suits are ordered by model the newest being at the top and steadily going all the way to Mark II since I rebuilt my old suits since I had the time and, why not? But it totals to…" Tony paused,

"117 suits sir." FRIDAY said. Tony smiled.

"That's right. 117."

"You are impressive for living outside Wakanda." Shuri said, examining one of the nearest suits. Tony smirked and made a motion that made the platform stop and begin to slowly move back up.

"Thanks Princess, FRIDAY has informed me though that your brother is looking for you." Shuri sighed.

"If only he could deal with something by himself for once." They reached the top and Shuri headed back up to her lab.

"How much have you been sleeping though Tony?" Bruce asked in worry after Peter had left the room muttering something about calling his Aunt.

"Enough."

"Tony, enough for you would be not sleeping at all."

"Fair point but humanly, I've been sleeping enough." Bruce rolled his eyes at that and instead directed his same question towards FRIDAY and before Tony had managed to open his mouth in protest she had replied.

"Mr Stark has an average of 22 hours of sleep per week although this week this has decreased to 17 hours of sleep." Tony crossed his arms.

"Traitor" he pouted.

"17 hours!" Bruce paled, "Tony that is not healthy!" Tony sighed.

"I'm fine Bruce, no need to mother me." Bruce glared at him.

"Looking out for you as a friend isn't mothering you!" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Fine i'll try and get more sleep, stop panicking." Tony turned and walked away leaving Bruce to fester in a pit of worry.

 **Tony POV:**

Tony was reaching the collapsing point he knew. His senses were so dulled it was like he was surrounded by a thick haze and his eyes kept wanting to close even with all the coffee. He needed to make it back to his room. Last time Tony had fallen over and gotten a light concussion along with the side effects of lack of past Peter who was asleep on a chair near the portal he waved his hand and Dummy pulled a blanket over the kid. Tony continued through the dark halls, it was probably late. He determined, most likely past midnight judging by the lack of people other than the usual stumbled through the common room ignoring Natasha who looked up from her book on the couch and observed his most definitely disheveled walking dead body as he trudged towards his room. Tripping slightly on the threshold to his bedroom Tony stopped steadying himself on the door frame a drinking from a flask in his jacket. _Aaah Whiskey_ He through his jacket unceremoniously on the floor swung the door shut and collapsed on his bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

 _He was in a dark room, tied down. He yelled, no one could hear or they just weren't replying. All of a sudden a voice whispered in the dark._

" _Jericho?" Tony's blood ran cold. Not again. No. Please._

" _I-I refuse." he stuttered. Pain filled him as his lungs filled with water. The voice echoed around him and Tony tried to pull in oxygen but the water was choking him. Filling him. He tried to scream. The water was blocking his throat and it gurgled past his lips and streamed out of his mouth drowning him from the inside. Then the water was gone. But the suffocating feeling wasn't. Maybe he hadn't noticed before but the room had grown colder. Much colder. Lights sparkled in the previously black room. Space. Tony's heart jumped into his already choking throat as he defied logic and began to fall through space. Picking up speed, faster and faster until._

 _WHAM_

 _Tony had all the air knocked out of him as he connected with hard ground. Gathering back the returning oxygen he stood up shakily._

 _No_

 _No_

 _No_

 _They were all dead. Surrounding him. Pepper, Vision, Rhodey, Bruce, the Rogues, T'challa, Shuri, Strange and Wong, Thor and even Loki. There was a weak moan and Tony whipped around._

 _NO_

 _Peter lay on the ground, blood streaming out of his nose and mouth, eyes darting around in fear as his hands weakly grasped the iron pole stabbing his abdomen. Tony rushed over._

 _Peter No, Please god No._

" _Mr Stark?" he weakly managed looking at Tony in fear. "Please help. Please. I'm scared." Tears were running down both their faces as Tony grasped Peter's hand and gently ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to go! Please Mr Stark! I'm sorry, I'll do better, just please help me!" The last word came out as a gurgle as Peter shuddered and became still._

 _NO NO NO NO NO NO NO_

 _Tony sobbed over Peter's dead body, it was all his fault, he should have never brought Peter here. Growls, snaps, and scuffling was heard as Tony looked up to see Chitauri surrounding him and Peter's body in a circle. The wormhole was back, looking up Tony say it shining blue in the sky. The Chitauri rushed at him and tore him to shreds as her screamed, closing his eyes. The pain didn't stop and now had moved from every inch of his body to his chest. Still yelling in pain and fear Tony wrenched his eyes open to see Yinsen looking at him as his hands moved in his chest._

" _You wasted your life." he said, blood beginning to pour from the wounds that cost him his life. "You wasted mine." Then he was pushed out of the way by an ever shifting figure. Was it Obie? No. Rogers? No. Obie? No. Rogers? The figure smiled cruelly._

"Tony!?"

"No."

" _This is your legacy." it screamed at him as it pulled his heart out of his chest._

"Tony?!"

"Please, no."

 _He could hear his friends laughter from the shadows. The figure permanently morphed into Steve, he smiled cruelly as he brought the shield. His father's shield. Down on his chest,_

"Stop… Please."

"Tony! Wake up!"

 _It was brought down, again and again, Natasha stepped out of the shadows._

" _I'm not the one who need to watch their back." she said as the shield split him in half._

Tony jerked awake, jumping out of his bed and falling to his knees panting. Was that tears or sweat on his face? The phantom pain bubbled under his skin as he barely registered someone, probably Rhodey muttering comforting words as they turned up the light as high as it could go. Tony rubbed his face and fell back into a seated position against the bed. The events of the meeting had probably combined with the lack of sleep and PTSD to form an ultra nightmare. Looking at the window as things came back into focus now the panic had slowly begun to subside Tony noticed that the barest slither of light showed the first signs of sunrise. He heard the click of the door closing and saw Rhodey had closed the door and was now sitting next to him.

"Worse than normal." Rhodey said. It was more of a statement than a fact, Tony nodded anyway. "You wanna talk about it?" Tony shook his head. Rhodey sighed. "You need help Tones. If not professional then just talk to one of us. Talk to me."

"When I'm ready." he muttered. Rhodey looked at him sadly.

"You never seem to be."


	8. Chapter 8

Natasha POV

There were many things Natasha regretted. Apart from the obvious red in her ledger. Most recently she had been scolding herself for not noticing. She was a supposed to be a superspy and yet had completely misjudged someone's character. After she had looked up from her book to see Tony stumbling through the room, looking practically dead, she had been worried. She didn't show it of course, he didn't trust her after all and trying to make a move towards him would probably make things worse. She had watched him stagger towards his room, before deciding to follow him to make sure he was alright. Standing she had moved after him and sunk into the shadows outside his room and sat there thinking. She had sat there probably for several hours engulfed in her thoughts which had drifted from worrying about Tony to her confused thoughts on Bruce. Then a noise came from Tony's room and Natasha sat up and alert listening closely, the noise was heard again but Natasha couldn't quite make it out. Listening intently she heard it again clearer now. It was a whimper, Natasha froze wondering what was happening inside Tony's room. She crept forwards and silently opened the door to his room slightly. Tony was tossing and turning in his bed, groaning and crying out. A nightmare, Natasha then almost hit herself, of course it was. He did have PTSD after all, creeping back out she began to head to Rhodey's room down the hall deciding that waking him herself wouldn't be the best idea. She knocked on his door and waited. A minute or two later Rhodey opened the door already alert, must be his military training, Natasha thought. Seeing that it was Natasha there he frowned raising an eyebrow.

"Tony's having a nightmare." she said calmly, "I thought you would be the better option over me to wake him up." Rhodey sighed and began to head relatively quickly to Tony's room. It must be a regular occurence, Natasha thought, Judging by his reaction, worried, but not surprised. Natasha followed quietly after him. Standing by the door as if entering Tony's room would be a major violation of his privacy. Ironic considering her line of work. Rhodey looked at her before heading into the room.

"Thank you for telling me, you can go." He stated before hurrying into the room, the door swung shut behind him but didn't close leaving a crack in the door. Natasha sunk back into the shadows and listened, Tony had begun to scream now, no wonder they had their rooms so far away from anyone else. His screams were so full of pain and fear Natasha almost ran into the room to attempt to kill the terror's that plagued him, but she couldn't so she didn't. Rhodey was speaking too, attempting to wake Tony up she guessed. After a minute the screams returned to a constant moaning of No, No, No, a pleading that seemed to invade Natasha's mind and worm its way into her own tortured memories. Then as Rhodey yelled a final plea of,

"Tony wake up!" There was a sharp intake of breath and then a thud and hyperventilating as Tony woke up and crashed to the floor, Natasha could just make him out on his knees Rhodey crouched near him, mouth moving in comforting words.

"Worse than normal." Rhodey said, a confirmation of the regular occurrence of terror Tony's insomnia making so much more sense now. "You wanna talk about it?" Tony shook his head. "You need help Tones. If not professional then just talk to one of us. Talk to me." But Tony Stark never seemed to want to talk to anyone.

"When I'm ready." he muttered. Natasha could just make out the words from the shaking wreck of a man that knelt on the floor, not looking like Tony Stark at all. Rhodey replied to the statement voice laced with sadness.

"You never seem to be."

Natasha had found herself sitting on the edge of a circular metal platform that stood elevated from the grassy plain spreading out from the palace. She had almost ran to escape the all too familiar derailment to her previous friend, the shame clouding her senses as she felt responsible for his mental state, not just because of the Accords issue, but for not noticing, for not asking if he was ever okay. The sun was rising, beautiful, over the shining paradise. Natasha sat there, legs hanging off the side of the platform and skimming the grass until the sun was nearly fully risen, consumed in her thoughts when she heard the noise behind her. Jumping up and turning she saw it was Thor and his friend, Heimdall if Natasha remembers correctly, in a discussion and heading towards the field.

"I will go to Xandar first, then Nidavellir, then Knowwhere. It is a logical way to inform those holding the stones that they should prepare for attack. Thanos is likely to attack them first considering he is in space already." Thor was saying and Heimdall was nodding in agreement, then Thor noticed her. His expression hardened ever so slightly.

"Lady Natasha." he said, back to formallities then. She nodded at them and then raised the question.

"Where are you going?" Thor hesitated before answering.

"To check on the protection of the other infinity stones and get a new weapon since Mjolnir was destroyed." Natasha nodded, this seemed logical.

"Okay," she said. Everything was so professional, it was times like this she missed the original Avengers when everything was so relaxed and even she had to admit, fun. Thor continues to walk, to the far edge of the field close to the force field that was a dome around the place. Heimdall didn't follow far just stood near Natasha and waited until Thor stopped and turned back to them. He then began to mutter some words about Allfather's or something and then the rainbow light came down and Thor was gone. Natasha turned and went back into the palace and to the common room. Sitting back down she resumed her book. A short while later she heard someone's footsteps heading down the hall and towards the room. Turning her eyes up she saw Bruce enter the room and head to the kettle to make some tea. After putting the kettle on he noticed her.

"Nat," he said haltingly.

"Bruce." Natasha replied smiling slightly.

He finished making his tea and was about to walk out when Natasha spoke again.

"Can we talk?" Bruce stopped and looked at her then sat down in a chair opposite hers. He then waited for her to speak.

"What's going to happen? When this is over."

"What are you referring to Nat, Earth, the Avengers, or do you mean us."

"Something like that."

"I don't know." they sat in silence for a while, Bruce sipping his tea now and then. "He was our friend. Our family, someone we were supposed to protect not destroy." Natasha knew he was talking about Tony.

"I was a fool, I should have noticed. Not said the things I did."

"But you did." Bruce stood up preparing to leave again. Before he went Natasha stood up too walking to him.

"Do you hate me?" she had to know, in case her deductions were wrong. Bruce smiled sadly.

"I probably should, Tony's my best friend and you hurt him. But I can't hate you, I can't. But." he paused, "I don't know if I can forgive you." Bruce left the room leaving Natasha with the hole in her heart that seemed to constantly be growing.

Peter Quill POV

Peter watched as Rocket fiddled with something across the table, probably making another bomb, Peter was almost hoping it was a bomb, anything to stop the incredibly boring bimonthly meeting with the Nova Corps that they had insisted on otherwise they'd put them back on their wanted list since the Guardians were a risk or whatever when unaccounted for. The Nova Prime was talking about something, Peter wasn't listening, probably Gamora would be the only one listening considering she was the most responsible. Looking at her now Peter couldn't turn his face back away, she was truly beautiful. Feeling his eyes she turned to him and glared, Peter merely smirked and she rolled her eyes turning away. Peter was about to pull out his Zune when there was a knock on the door. Nova Prime turned and motioned for the door to be opened and Nova Prime's assistant entered,

"Maam there is someone here to talk to you." Nova Prime stood up.

"Who is it?" she asked. In answer a man walked in, muscled, annoyingly handsome, and eyepatched he smiled at Nova Prime.

"Your highness," she said, bowing her head slightly in a gesture of respect. Irritated by the attention, specifically Gamora's attention on this man Peter spoke up.

"Who are you?" he asked failing at keeping the annoyance out of his voice. Rocket spoke before he could answer.

"He's obviously royalty dumbass, are you deaf?"

"I am Groot," confirmed Groot.

"But Quill is not deaf." Drax said confused, "surely you know this?"

"Shut up you idiots!" snapped Gamora making them fall into a disgruntled silence.

"Apologies for them, they are useful but lack manners." Dey said smirking.

"Who are you calling useful." grumbled Rocket, "Are we your tools now."

"That's a compliment Rocket." sighed Gamora, rubbing her temples.

"It's fine, they remind me of the Avengers on Midgard." the Man said still smiling. "I am Thor, Son of Odin, God of Thunder, and King of Asgard."

"Are you really a God?" asked Mantis eyes wide, great just great, this man couldn't get anymore perfect could he.

"Yes I am"

"So you're immortal?" asked Rocket.

"Almost."

"So, theoretically, someone could kill you?"

"Anyone can be killed,"

"What would it take to kill you?"

"Shut up Rocket," hissed Gamora.

"Just asking some questions." Rocket said a glint in his eyes.

"How may we help you?" asked Nova Prime.

"I merely come with a warning and a question." Thor said. "I would like to inquire if you truly have the Power Stone and how well defended it is." The room instantly became incredibly tense.

"Woah, woah, woah. Why do you need to know that?" Peter asked in suspicion. Thor smiled grimly.

"You need to be prepared." he said.

"What for?" Mantis asked in fear, Peter noticed Gamora's eyes were downcast, he knew what was coming instantly.

"Thanos." Thor said simply. "He has begun his quest for the infinity stones more actively, and is likely to attack here, or Knowhere first."

"I am Groot?"

"Yes there is a stone on Knowhere." replied Thor to Groot.

"You speak Groot?" said Rocket in disbelief.

"Why would there be a stone on Knowhere? That's a stupid place for one." Peter said.

"Or the perfect place." Thor said.

"How can you be so sure he is going to Xandar or Knowhere first?" asked Gamora.

"There are six infinity stones as I assume you know, the Soul stone is lost and the Time, Space, and Mind stones are on Earth, or Terra as I think you call it, with the Avengers."

"Who are the Avengers and just how did they get three Infinity stones?" asked Peter in disbelief that mingled with his shock that his birthplace was mingled in with the chaos again.

"Earth's mightiest heroes, one of the Avengers has the Mind stone in his head, another is a sworn protector of the Time stone and the Space stone was on Asgard before it was destroyed."

"Is Kevin Bacon on the team?" asked Mantis, Peter almost grimaced.

"Who? No. Not that I know anyway. But I just wanted to make sure you were okay with continued protection of the Power stone before I go to Nidavellir."

"You made up that word." says Drax, but Rocket's eyes has sparked in excitement and he leaps up.

"Nidavellir is real!"

"What's Nidavellir?" Peter asked clueless.

"They make the most powerful and dangerous weapons in the galaxy," Thor is grinning at Rocket now, "things that can destroy whole planets and civilizations. I would very much like to go there."

"Why do you need a weapon with that level of awesomeness?" questioned Drax.

"To kill Thanos." said Thor as if they were discussing the weather, Peter thought he saw Gamora winced ever so slightly.

"Couldn't we all use a weapon like that?" said Peter in irritation.

"Your mortal bodies could never wield something as powerful as their weapons, your bodies would be crushed as you mind dissolved into insanity." Rocket was practically jumping up and down at the prospect of these weapons.

If Thanos is coming" interrupted Dey, "He would most definitely destroy all of Xandar." Nova Prime looked greatly troubled by this.

"If you would prefer I can take the Power stone back to Earth, we have plans to either destroy the stones or hide them somewhere else." said Thor, Nova Prime considered this.

"That would probably be the best option, I would rather not endanger Xandar and her people." She then motioned to Dey and he left the room presumably to retrieve the Orb.

"I am Groot."

"Groot's right, we should accompany the stone and help protect it on Terra." said Rocket.

"Rocket you just want to go to Nidavellir." Peter sighed.

"That is true."

"You also just want to leave this meeting, not that i'm complaining."

"That is also true."

"Well brave rabbit you are welcome to accompany me on my quest to Nidavellir. You're friends can join as well if they desire." Thor said.

"Rabbit?" muttered Rocket offended. Dey walked back into the room carrying the small orb containing the stone he then gingerly handed it to Thor who put it in a small bag on his hip.

"So are we going to Nidave-what now then?" asked Peter annoyed.

"We should join Thor, the orb should have the best protection possible." Gamora said.

"Come on then." Rocket said heading to the door. "We can use the Benatar."

"Is this your ship?" asked Thor following, Groot trailed behind pulling out his Game and continuing on Defender.

"Yeah, It's my ship." smirked Rocket.

"Except it's my ship." muttered Peter, standing up with the rest of them and bidding Nova Prime goodbye.

"Peter, this is good, if we can destroy the stones then it should stop my father from genocide." Gamora sighed next to him.

"I know, but should we really trust this guy?"

"I think so, if he tries to kill us then well, he's outnumbered." Gamora took his hand and smiled at him. "Once Thanos is gone everything will be okay." but Peter noted the almost questioning tone in her voice, like she wasn't sure herself.

Thor POV

Thor looked out the window of the Guardian's ship, rolling the orb in between his hand. He was thinking, about Thanos, and the Avengers and Loki, when he felt the presence next to him, turning he saw Drax, staring at his face.

"God man, where is your eye?"

"Drax, be polite." called Gamora from the chair at the table behind them, not looking up from a tablet she was tapping things into.

"It is fine, I do not mind." said Thor rubbing the eyepatch. "My sister cut it out"

"Does she not like you?" asked Mantis appearing behind Drax eyes wide.

"You could say that. She hated my father more though." Thor rubbed his eyepatch again.

"You plan to fight Thanos with one eye?" asked Quill.

"I don't have any other eyes so yes, I do."

"I am Groot."

"Yes that is true Groot, I do have a spare eye somewhere." Rocket said beginning to rummage in a box. Several seconds later he pulled out an eyeball with a golden iris. "Here."

"You just have a spare eyeball laying around?" asked Thor surprised.

"I won it from a guy I was betting with in Contraxia."

"He gave you his eye?"

"No he gave me some credits, I snuck into his room and stole his eye."

"Of course you did." sighed Gamora. Thor just shrugged and took off his eyepatch, Groot leaned forward in excitement. Holding open his eye he popped the eyeball in. Rocket smirked, Thor didn't bother to ask why though he was too busy tapping his head and adjusting the eye.

"Thank you sweet Rabbit." he said, Rocket scowled at the name. Thor looked back out the window. "Something's wrong." He moved forward looking right out of the glass.

"Are we here?" asked Mantis curiously.

Yes, but it's too dark and the rings are frozen. Nidavellir isn't even burning." While the Guardians ship landed everyone started preparing for a fight, just in case. Thor leading the door began to open and they stepped out. No, The mine was dark and deserted, Thor headed to where he remembered Eitri's workshop to be.

"We have to get out of here." said Gamora horrified.

"What?" asked Quill.

"That Gauntlet." she said pointing to the golden gauntlet standing on a desk. "It is exactly like Thanos's." All of a sudden there was a roar as a large person came in and flung the Guardian's to the sides and Thor slammed into a wall, the figure charged him.

"Eitri! Stop." he yelled.

"T-Thor?" Eitri asked still defensive but anger replaced with confusion. "Where were you," he was angry again. "Asgard was supposed to protect us!"  
"Asgard was destroyed." At that Eitri looked shocked, hands lowering slightly from the defensive posture. "Eitri," Thor gestured to the gauntlet. "What did you do?"

Eitri turned away and sat down with a crash that resonated through the room. The Guardians had stood up and were tentatively approaching them.

"He came, I thought, if I made it, he might not kill my people. There were 300 dwarves here. He took my work and killed them all, spare me." Eitri rubbed his face looking depressed.

"Eitri, I am so sorry for your loss, but I need you now. Your creations, they are the most powerful in the universe. Thanos plans to kill trillions, and although it seems like it's too late, that all hope is lost, together, you and me, together we can stop Thanos." Eitri stared at him.

"I would Thor, but I can't, he stopped the forge, the rings won't move, without Nidavellir burning no weapons will be made here."

"Leave that to me." Thor smiled sadly, "Guardians I will need you to get back into your ship soon." Eitri sighed standing up he headed over and some arms moved an engraved brick down to them.

"A mold, for a kings weapon, the mightiest in Asgard, in theory it can summon the Bifrost."

"Does it have a name?" asked Thor gazing at the brick.

"Stormbreaker."

"Bit dramatic." Thor heard Rocket mutter behind him.

Thor stood on one of the rings holding a rope tied to the Guardian's ship. Rocket and Quill were inside piloting but the others waited with Eitri.

"You ready?" came Quill's voice over the earpiece they had given him to connect to their ship and Eitri back in the forge.

"Yes, full speed Quill." Thor replied grounding his feet, the ship began to move and it tugged the rope, the building pressure had caused Thor to begin to move on the ring. Jamming his feet onto a ledge on the side Thor yelled into the comm, "Faster." The speed on the ship pulling on the rope had begun to press his feet into the metal denting it.

"Quill he said faster, that means full speed." Rocket said over the comm. The ring underneath him shifted slightly as the Guardians ship began to reach full speed. There was a shudder under his feet as the ship reached full speed and the ring began to slowly turn, then move, they had done it.

"Yes!" yelled Thor overjoyed. There was a bright light as Nidavellir came back to life. He pointed smiling to Rocket who Thor could see gazing longingly at the dying star through the glass. A bright stream of light shot towards the forge then stopped.

"Damn it, the mechanism is crippled. The iris is closed so I cannot forge." Thor considered this.

"How long do you need it open for?" he asked.

"A couple of minutes, maybe more."

" I got this," he said jumping from ring to ring and then down onto the Iris.

"You can't it will kill you!" Eitri said horrified.

"Thanos will if I don't so, be prepared." Thor then pressed his hands to the handles on either side of the iris and pushed. The burning pain was instantaneous. He could feel his flesh blistering as pain racked his body.

"It's working, hold on Thor." came Eitri over the comm's but it was too much, the energy seemed to be getting sapped out of him and getting replaced with pain. He stumbled and fell, with the last of the bright light towards the forge.

Peter Quill POV

They had just landed back in the forge and exited the Benatar when Thor's burnt body came crashing down. Eitri had just smashed open the mold leaving a burning red axe blade in its place.

"The handle. We need the handle." he was yelling, Mantis had crouched near Thor and had her hand on his forehead.

"He is dying!" she said scared.

"He needs the axe, where the hel is the handle." Eitri shouted. Peter began to look with the others too. Turning back to Groot who had been sitting down playing Defender's he saw that he was walking towards the glowing metal and his arm was growing out. Peter moved towards him as there was a sizzle and Groot grimaced as his roots came into contact with the metal and wrapped around it.

"Groot has it you guys." Peter yelled over his shoulder as Groot lifted the axe into the air and chopped off his arm letting the axe fall to the floor with a bang. The metal went dark and Mantis gasped backing away from Thor as sparks began to light up him and the axe. Few at first then the axe flew to Thor's hand and Thor staggered to one knee, lighting sparked from him and into the axe. Peter's eyes widened, Thor stood up and raised the axe into the air, Lightning sparked through him and around him lighting up the room and glowing in his eyes. Peter saw that Rocket and Groot were both gaping at Thor and realized he was as well, quickly he closed his mouth, glancing at Gamora to see her reaction, which luckily was just wide eyes. Thor smiled as Eitri tossed him a belt sash thing to let the axe hang on his back. The lightning gave a final spark and died down as he hung the axe on his back. Thor turned to them eye's still glowing bright blue.


	9. Chapter 9

**T'challa POV**

T'challa watches as Shuri's careful hands tapped and turned the holographic image that controlled what the tools and lasers currently in Vision's head were doing in the pit below them.

"Brother do you plan on asking me something or just standing there?" asked Shuri smiling slightly as stared intently at the hologram she was manipulating.

"I like watching you work," he replied.

"Not creepy at all," chuckled Shuri smirking but not taking her eyes off her work. "What is troubling you brother?" she asked.

"How did you know." sighed T'challa. Shuri smirked,

"Magic." she said sarcastically, "No you idiot, I know you." her fingers were making a turning motion in the air on the hologram.

"Many things bother me, sister." T'challa sat down rubbing his face with his hands.

"That seems to be a trend around here lately, should I find something to be bothered about?" She laughed again and T'challa smiled, Shuri really could lift someone's spirits when she wasn't showing off. "Yet," her tone became serious at she tapped at a small pulsating spot in the floating holographic mind stone, "You seem to be thinking about a specific thing."

"Are you sure you're not using magic?" asked T'challa, Shuri sighed probably if she wasn't working she would be rolling her eyes.

"No you fool, I'm a genius remember?" she paused. "Logically it could be one of three things. Thanos, Wakanda, or the Avengers. As they should be a major thing that could be troubling you. However it could be something else," Shuri smirked suggestively, eyes glinting, T'challa began to interrupt, "Are you blushing brother?" she teased. "I guess i've hit a nerve. Anyway," Shuri continued before he could interrupt again. "You had a meeting about Thanos yesterday and we worked out a reasonable plan so, unless you're being overly skeptical, that shouldn't be bothering you at this moment. Wakanda has more than just their king to defend it and, thanks to me, the most advanced weaponry in the world. That leaves the Avengers. Many reasons to worry about them, the obvious one being the fracture that remains from the 'Civil War' between each half of the team." Shuri was chewing her lip in thought as she dissected his behaviour while performing brain surgery. "The effect of that being troublesome. How will they work together when they won't even talk? Who will each side agree to follow? What on earth did Captain Rogers do to Stark to leave him in the state he's in?" T'challa looked at his hands then in shame.

"It's my fault too." He sighed, "I left him in Siberia, assuming his suit would work after being defeated by a couple of super soldiers. I should have check on him, contacted someone, I should have-"

"But you didn't." Shuri stated with finality as she made another swipe at the hologram and tapped it a couple more times. "You didn't check in afterwards either, or now, or even apologize." She made several more motions and then seemed to finish as she began to close the Hologram. Shuri walked towards the staircase leading to the pit.

"At the very least ask how he's doing or apologize." Shuri said smiling sadly at him, "Stark need to know you are regretting it." T'challa nodded standing up and looking down into the pit to see Vision holding the Mind Stone in his hand as if it was a figment of his imagination and Shuri talking to him. T'challa sighed beginning to head away from the medical wing and to Shuri's labs which according to her had been connected to Stark's lab back in the Avengers Compound which would probably occupy Stark at the moment considering he never appeared out of it. Entering the lab he saw that there was indeed a glowing teleport that seemed to lead to Stark's lab. Walking in he saw several robotic arms moving things around at various desks. T'challa looked around for a few seconds admiring the various suits before he heard loud voices down a hall. Following the noise he walked past piles of clutter before reaching a door, hearing the yelling T'challa stood by the door unnoticed by Dr Strange or Stark who were arguing, Strange clearly irritated.

"I am not here to do magic to your beck and call Stark, I am here to fight Thanos."

"Come on Strange, it's one more spell, last time, I swear."

"Why should I do this exactly?"

"For the good of the team, we can't work together when we are all arguing so logically mending the broken things should fix the team."

"And you're sure that _this_ is the thing that is broken?" Strange said crossing his arms.

"This is the thing that can actually be fixed," Stark replied calmly. "So can you? Do it for the team." Strange stared at him for a few seconds before sighing.

"Fine, you want it in their rooms right?" Stark nodded smirking triumphantly.

"Thanks, Gandalf." He then noticed T'challa and turned.

"Hey Kitty King, what's up?" Strange left giving a final exasperated look at Stark and nodding to T'challa.

"I wished to talk to you," T'challa said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to…" T'challa paused. "Apologize." Immediately Stark froze for a millisecond before looking at T'challa.

"What for?" he asked reproachfully. T'challa looked him in the eyes and said.

"For leaving you… In Siberia, I should have checked on you, made sure you weren't injured or your suit was broken." Stark averted his eyes looking at one of the robots who had just come in as if on cue, carrying a glass of whisky which it brought over to Stark who immediately took it and sipped.

"Thanks, Dummy," He glanced at T'challa. "Do you want something?" T'challa his head not wanting to drink at a time like this not that he often drunk anyway. "Well," Stark began draining the glass and giving it back to Dummy, giving him a pat on the head. You didn't need to apologize. I'm fine, I don't blame you, I'm over it." This was obviously a lie but T'challa didn't think pushing would be a good idea so he said goodbye and headed back through the lab planning to go to his study and do some thinking.

"Your Highness," nodded Bruce who was working on something that T'challa couldn't see. T'challa smiled at him and continued on his way.

Reaching his room he stepped through the doors held open by some of the guards stationed there. Entering he moved to sit down at his desk but saw a package there.

"Was someone in here?" he asked one of the guards in Wakandan.

"No, your Highness." T'challa nodded considering.

"Could you call my sister up here?" The guard nodded and began to walk down to the lab. Waiting, T'challa watched the package from afar. It was simple brown paper with an unmarked envelope on top, nothing suspicious but you could never be too careful.

"What is it brother?" asked Shuri entering.

"Someone appears to left this package here but apparently no one came in." Shuri looked at the package then lifted her wrist and tapped her kimoyo bead and accessed the security footage of the room. T'challa looked over her shoulder as she began to play it. No one was in the room, then all of a sudden the package appeared.

"Hmm, why don't you just activate your suit as a precaution and open it?" Shuri asked closing the footage. T'challa considered this before deciding and activating his suit he walked towards the package. He picked up the envelope, opened it and began to read.

 _Your Highness,_

 _No need to panic, this won't explode or anything, it is simply a message. As you may understand, Thanos is coming and likely to kill trillions if the Avengers and Co. cannot agree to work together. To do so they must trust one another and understand both the past of the team and individuals who are keeping things hidden and as a result, distrust is growing in the group. I myself would rather not die and the thing I fight with is secrets and truths. So enclosed in the package is a set of videos which can only be played when all the Avengers and Co. are present. That means wait until Thor is back._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Syn_

T'challa looked disbelievingly at the letter for several seconds before opening the package. Inside were several disks numbered 1 onwards and another envelope. T'challa picked that up as well and saw writing on the outside.

 _Sorry, this envelope will only open when you are about to watch the videos. And the Videos will only play when everyone is present._

Sighing T'challa looked up at Shuri his suit retreating into his necklace.

"Well?" She asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Some disks. Videos. Supposedly they will tell the Avengers the truth and get them working together again." Shuri smirked,

"So we get to watch an inspirational montage and somehow it will fix the mess that is the Avengers?" T'challa rolled his eyes placing the envelope back in the box.

"I will keep this here. When Thor returns I will call a meeting in our private cinema and we can watch the videos." Shuri nodded.

"Fair enough. I should go back and help check Stark's work on the replacement for the hole in Vision's head left by the stone." T'challa looked up from the box he had been closing.

"Everything went well then? Where did you put the stone?" Shuri nodded to the first question before answering.

"Yes, everything was fine. I was the one operating after all. The stone I left with Strange. He seems a capable protector after all." T'challa smiled at his sister as she left the room. Before staring at the box, wondering what was on the disks.

 **Clint POV**

"What's this?" asked Scott suspiciously looking at a piece of paper taped to his and Clint's door. After the Asgardians had come to Wakanda Scott and Clint had decided to share a room since Asgardians needed a lot of space and it wasn't that big of a deal since it was a large enough room. Clint tore the note off the door and opened it.

"Hopefully this will make you understand we're on the same side." Clint read, "Sighed TS."

"That's Stark then," said Scott, Clint nodded. "I'm kind of scared to enter the room now." Clint glanced at him.

"It can't be that bad," he said more trying to convince himself. "Just be ready to jump out of the way if a swarm of bots come out and attack us." Scott nodded bending his knees and getting into a defensive stance. Clint hesitantly pushed open the door. No bots came out so it was supposedly safe. He and Scott entered the room to encounter a glowing circle they recognized as one of Strange's portals. It seemed to lead to a living room. All of a sudden a girl ran at Scott and was hugging him.

"Dad!" cried Cassie Lang as she hugged her father who after realising what was going on had embraced her as well practically sobbing with joy. There was another cry as Lila jumped at Clint in excitement closely followed by Laura, Cooper and Nathaniel who was now almost five.

"What? How?" gasped Clint in surprise.

"Tony had hidden us from Ross and then a wizard appeared and said that this portal leads straight to your room," explained Cooper.

"Stark?" said Clint in surprise. Laura glared at him.

"Have you been a dick to him. Clint? Really?" she sighed kissing his cheek.

"I-I didn't know," Clint muttered. "I missed you."

"We missed you too Dad," said Lila still hugging him. Meanwhile, Scott had noticed who Clint assumed was his Ex-Wife standing near the portal with who Clint supposed was Jim Paxton. Clint sat down on his bed, Laura sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder, Cooper sat in the chair opposite his bed and Lila sat on his other side while Nathaniel scrambled into his lap and continued hugging him as if letting go would mean Clint would disappear.

Later, Clint had said goodnight to the kids who, because it was Stark had been living in the equivalent of an underground mansion with AI, and extremely crazy tech and entertainment systems. Clint now lay on a sofa in the underground mansion with Laura's head resting on his chest.

"I should never have left," he said.

"No, you shouldn't have. You were retired Clint and there wasn't a worldwide threat it was just an argument blown way, way, way out of proportion." Clint sighed, knowing she was right.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." most likely a lie. "I know you felt obligated to go do some avenging or whatever, but you should have discussed it with me a bit first, instead of just telling me and then going."

"I know."

"And apologize to Tony, you don't have to be friends again if you don't want to but at least acknowledge that he did protect your family when you couldn't." _That kind of stung_

"I will." They were quiet for several more seconds. "I love you and I'm super sorry I left."

"I love you too and forgive you, just try not to die during this global crisis and we can go home," Clint smirked.

"I'll try."

 **A/N: The Watching the movie is almost here! Yay. But I also have some sad news. My School's Vacation is almost here (That's not the sad news) and during the summer they take away our laptop's for updates and stuff! :o So if I can manage to kick my brother off the computer I will update, but the schedule is going to go wonky. I'm sorry :( please stick around!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Short Chapter this time guys sorry!**

 **-o-**

 **Rocket POV**

As the last of the rainbow light faded away from around the ship Quill glared at Thor,

"I never said you could use your rainbow magic on my ship." Rocket rolled his eyes the jealousy emitting off Quill was spectacular.

"It was not rainbow magic it was the Bifrost" explained Thor as if it was obvious.

"And yet I didn't give my consent" Quill snapped crossing his arms.

"I am Groot," Groot said smirking.

"I doubt that was the consent he meant Groot," Rocket muttered looking out the window. "Where the hell are we anyway?" Thor smiled at him.

"Wakanda, it is the kingdom of King T'challa and is where the Avengers are staying." Rocket grunted and pressed a button to open the door. Thor lead them out since the Wakandans would be less likely to kill him. The door shut behind them and Thor began to lead them towards the palace after several seconds of walking Rocket spotted a figure walking towards them. The woman strode up confidently and emptied a bottle of what Rocket assumed was alcohol, he liked her already.

"Well Your Majesty, glad you've returned, you brother is just about to murder everyone by the look on his face recently." She mockingly bowed before Thor who chuckled.

"Guardian's this is Brunnhilde, she is a Valkyrie," Quill smirked at the word Guardian's, Rocket rolled his eyes at that.

"Such a pleasure," she said almost sarcastically, she was drunk. Rocket was liking her more every second. "I see you've got a new eye." she said pulling another bottle out of her bag and drinking half of it in a second. "And you appear to have been cooked." She was looking at his skin which was still red and burnt from Nidavellir he hadn't bothered to do anything about it claiming he healed fast, this turned out to be true, by the time they left Knowhere with the Reality Stone the wounds were half healed.

"This kind Rabbit" Rocket growled. "gave me a new eye and the burns are from Nidavellir," Thor explained eyeing the bottle that Valkyrie held disapprovingly. "What's my brother done this time," he asked. Gamora glanced at Quill obviously she knew something they didn't about this brother of Thor's. Valkyrie wasn't listening she was glaring at the now empty bottle accusingly.

"Midgard's drinks are so incredibly weak." she complained, "At least on Sakaar they had strong booze." Thor sighed repeating his question and Valkyrie looked at him.

"Just the usual, glaring daggers at everyone in existence." Thor sighed and rubbed his face.

"Your brother shoots daggers out of his eyes?" asked Drax, Quill rolled his eyes.

"That would be a useful weapon," said Mantis her eyes widening in interest.

"No you idiots it's an expression," grumbled Quill, Drax looked at him offended.

"Do not call me an idiot," he said.

"Anyway," Valkyrie said storing the empty bottle in her bag. "I need to go inside and find more booze."

"I am Groot," muttered Groot nudging Rocket. Rocket ignored him.

"Have you not had enough?" asked Thor tentatively. Valkyrie glared at him.

"I already told you, Lord of Thunder, don't interfere with my drinking and I'll help you."

"I am Groot." Groot nudged Rocket again who glared at him in annoyance,

"Not now." he murmured back.

"I thought that was just for stopping Ragnarok?" smiled Thor. "If so then you are technically allowed to leave."

"Maybe I will." she snarled.

"No you won't" Valkyrie opened her mouth furiously when,

"I am Groot!" Groot said again loudly.

"What?!" Growled Rocket, "What is so important that I need to look at it?" Groot pointed at something in the air and the group looked up to see a red figure flying down towards them. Thor broke into a large smile.

"Man of Iron!" he yelled at the figure waving. As the person landed next to them in what Quill would call the 'superhero pose' Rocket saw that it was, in fact, a truly beautiful metal suit of armour painted a sleek red and gold. The helmet retracted into the collar of the suit and revealed a man underneath.

"Hey Point Break bringing back more aliens are we?" obviously he was on guard.

"These are the Guardians of the Galaxy, they are basically the Space Avengers." The man hesitated before the rest of the suit retracted into a glowing energy source attached to his chest.

"Well then, I'm Tony Stark, aka Iron man." Gamora seemed to recognize that name somehow Rocket intended to ask how.

"What are you doing outside? Were you informed of our arrival?" asked Thor.

"No actually, Pepper called and apparently spending 128 hours without Vitamin D is bad for you." he shrugged, "So I went flying."

"Which may I point out doesn't count since inside the suit you are still inside something Boss." came an exasperated female voice from the suit.

"Hush Fri, I'm outside the suit now so everything's fine." He looked around at them. "That's FRIDAY, my AI."

"I'm StarLord," smirked Quill.

"Peter," sighed Gamora,

"What?" Gamora looked at him. "Fine, my name is actually Peter Quill but I go by StarLord."

"No one calls you that though," said Mantis confused.

"Whatever doesn't matter." He grumbled. "This is Gamora, Drax, Mantis, Groot, and Rocket."

"A Raccoon?" asked Stark.

"What even is a Raccoon?" howled Rocket in fury. Stark snickered and pulled out a portable tablet while speaking to FRIDAY.

"Pull up a picture would you Fri?" he then tapped the tablet and an image materialized in front of them. "That's a racoon," said Stark smirking.

"It is true, that does look like you." agreed Drax, Mantis was nodding her head.

"I am Groot." Rocket was horrified. That fluffy thing didn't look like him, right?

"Whatever," he glared at Gamora, "What I want to know is how Gamora knows Stark's name." Gamora glared back at him in annoyance but the attention was now all on her.

"He's the one who killed all of Thanos's army before," she said calmly.

"Oh, that," muttered Stark smiling.

"Oh yeah." laughed Rocket. "That was hilarious! People were talking about it everywhere. Thanos was super pissed."

"Back to the important things." said Valkyrie, "Stark, have you got any spare alcohol?" Stark looked at her.

"I wouldn't call it spare alcohol, just alcohol I'm not currently drinking." Valkyrie rolled her eyes.

"Can I have some?"

"Yeah sure. Just follow the droid and take your pick." At his words, a slither of metal slid out of his chest and formed a hovering droid.

"Cool, bye then." smiled Valkyrie walking after the droid that began to float towards the palace in the distance.

"Fri? Inform T'challa that Thor is back with the Space Avengers and," he glanced at Thor who taking the hint spoke.

"Reality and Power stones."

"The Reality and Power Stones," repeated Stark.

"You got it, Boss," FRIDAY replied.

"Now, Thor we have a meeting later with the others about something, bring the Space Avengers if you want." He looked at his watch. "That's enough Vitamin D, back to my lab then." As he said this the suit began to flow around his body, Rocket gazed at it in awe. "See you later, guys." With that, he took off leaving the Guardians and Thor to head towards the palace.

 **-o-**

 **Alright! Watching the Movie starts next chapter with... IRON MAN :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Tony POV**

Tony was unsure which had been more surprising. The Aliens that arrived with Thor, Clint apologizing (probably because of Laura), or Wanda acting less Wicked Witch of the West towards him (probably because of Vision). It didn't really matter right now. The suit vanished into his arc reactor as Tony began to walk back to the lab. Whether it was conscious or not he took a route specifically avoiding the hall the Rogue Avengers were staying in.

"What time was the meeting again?" he asked FRIDAY glancing at his watch.

"16:00 boss." _5 hours then,_ "Speaking of time, I must insist you take your medication." Tony sighed.

"Now, now, FRIDAY, drugs are bad for you." he could practically feel FRIDAY rolling her . (A/N: I'm sorry I had to).

"Only ones not required and prescribed by a Medical Professional." Tony stayed silent turning a corner to cross through the common area and see if T'challa had coffee, he was almost out. "It would help with your discomfort."

"That would be true if there was any discomfort," Tony replied rummaging through the cupboards and ignoring the painful aching from his left arm.

"Boss, I must insist." Tony rolled his eyes pulling out a bag of coffee beans and standing to continue to the labs.

"FRIDAY, I took the pills for ages after being prescribed them. My arm doesn't even hurt anymore." He examined the bag, _Wakanda has some weird smelling coffee._

"Taking the medicine for 23 days is not ages and ignoring your obvious lie, long-term symptoms of frostbite include chronic pain which you have mentioned in your… drunker… moments."

"You seem to be taking personality from Pepper," Tony grumbled putting down the weird smelling coffee. _I'll just find buy some._ "Have you guys been having secret conversati- Jesus! Romanoff?! Give me a heart attack why don't you." Turning to head to his lab he had found Natasha standing by the door and looking at him, the usual unreadable expression on her face. Tony walked towards the door that led to his lab.

"Fri, can you send someone to find more coffee? American coffee not whatever this Wakandan stuff is." He passed Natasha who followed him with her eyes. _How much had she heard?_ Enough that her eyes darted to his arm.

"Tony." He stopped and looked at her, mask in place.

"Mm-Hm?" That stupid panic coming back and clawing at his insides.

"Are you okay?" _Remain calm, remain calm._

"Course I am, I'm Tony Stark." He raised an eyebrow smirking. She glared at him looking almost as if she was sad. Turning quickly Tony continued on his way down to his lab.

"Boss you're meeting is in 30 minutes," informed FRIDAY. Tony nodded and swiped aside the plans he had been making for a new type of nanobot that would be more durable than his current ones.

"Has someone found coffee?"

"Yes, there is coffee in the kitchen," FRIDAY replied. Tony smiled and standing up headed to the kitchen where FRIDAY had already started making the coffee.

"You know Fri, maybe I should make a holographic thing for you so you can have a body." Tony pondered pulling out a mug and watching the dark liquid as it bubbled in the pot.

"I don't understand the need for that, however, it seems a reasonable plan," she replied. _The reason? So I don't have to be so alone._

"Add it to the To-Do list would you Fri?" He said pouring the now finished coffee into the mug and heading back to his lab.

"Of course Boss. Also, Colonel Rhodes is waiting for you in your lab." Tony hummed in understanding as he drunk, _Ah Coffee, a drink of the gods._

"Hey, Rhodey," Tony said as he entered his lab and saw Rhodey sitting on a stool.

"Tony. We should head to the meeting, Princess Shuri has already headed up."

"Did Peter go as well?" Rhodey nodded.

"I think so, he seemed interested in some aliens that Thor brought back."

"The Guardians of the Galaxy" Tony downed the last of the coffee and pulled on his black and orange jacket.

"You okay Tony? I haven't seen you these past few days." Tony put on a pair of sunglasses connected to Friday and smiled at Rhodey.

"Been working, which reminds me, I have a new prototype for Warmachine." Rhodey looked at him worried, attempting to hide the excitement in his eyes.

"How much have you been sleeping?"

"Funny you should ask, Pepper, asked me that just yesterday."

"That's not an answer Tones."

"I have slept enough, besides we need to be prepared for the evil space dude intent on killing us all." Rhodey sighed and stood up. Tony smirked, "Let's head out then, better not keep the Lion King waiting." Rhodey rolled his eyes and followed Tony out of the lab. As they walked up to the room that T'challa said the meeting would be in Tony explained the new suit.

"It's got some alien inspired weaponry, like based off what I gathered after the Chitauri invasion and from the infinity stones, use their tech against them and stuff like that." Rhodey was nodding along looking around for the room.

"Which room are we going to again?" he interrupted.

"Some media room, apparently he wants to show some videos."

"But where is it?"

"Take the next right and it is the third door on your left," instructed FRIDAY. Following her instructions, they entered the room to find a smallish cinema and everyone there except T'challa. Peter immediately bounced up to them.

"Tony, Tony! The aliens that Thor brought back are so cool! The one that isn't actually an alien but is from Earth is also called Peter!" Tony immediately smiled at the kid's excitement.

"That's pretty neat," he was carefully avoiding Steve's eyes. "Apparently they're the Space Avengers." Peter nodded eagerly and was about to say something else when T'challa walked in with Shuri who was carrying a box.

"It is good to see that everyone's here." He looked at the Guardians interest in his face. "For those who don't know, Thor has recruited the Guardians of the Galaxy to help u fight Thanos." After a quick round of introductions, T'challa continued, "Four of the Infinity Stones are in our possession and in the Wakandan Vaults and the Time Stone is with Dr Strange."

"Are we really ignoring the elephant in the room?" asked Loki who Tony now noticed was leaning against the wall near Thor.

"Which one of them is an elephant?" Tony heard the blue guy, was his name Drax? mutter.

"Which elephant do you mean Reindeer Games? There are so many it's hard to tell," asked Tony.

"The fact that Gamora here is the daughter of Thanos, the person we are currently fighting." Following these words, there was a dead silence. Quill moved protectively in front of Gamora who swatted him away hissing at him in some alien language.

"That's pretty rich coming from someone who worked for Thanos," growled Gamora at Loki who scowled.

"I was a fool blinded by emotions. You, however, seemed perfectly capable of standing up to Thanos."

"He wouldn't have cared."

"That's not the point." They had begun to move towards each other and somehow Loki had gotten his hands on some daggers.

"Loki…" warned Thor moving towards his brother.

"Thanos is no father of mine." snarled Gamora glaring at Loki.

"How do we know we can trust you though." countered Loki.

"Um, guys. Can you stop that now?" asked Quill, hand near his gun.

"Get me near Thanos and I'll kill him myself. Gladly," growled Gamora ignoring Quill.

"What if you kill us first?" Loki lifted a dagger, that was enough for Thor who stepped in between them.

"Brother, you of all people should know that families can be tough and filled with hatred most of the time. We allowed you to turn over a new leaf so we should allow Lady Gamora." he then promptly plucked the daggers out of Loki's hands and dragged the angry god back to the edge of the room giving an apologetic look at Gamora.

"So we trust you? I guess," said Scott slightly confused.

"Well Thor trusts you and even though his judgement can be odd sometimes you seem okay," Clint said glancing pointedly at Loki when saying this.

"Moving on, my brother found this package on his desk the other day," stated Shuri holding up the package.

"Indeed, I got a letter accompanying it that said the disks that I found inside the package won't play without the other Avengers here and also another Letter which appeared to be under the same circumstances, so…" He opened the package and pulled out an envelope that seemed to have a soft glow to it.

"That's definitely magical," stated Strange intrigued. T'challa opened the letter and began to read out loud.

"Dear Avengers & Co. Glad to see you managed to gather together to watch the videos. On these disks are details on the Avengers, Guardians, and so on. More specifically the people hiding things that could damage the team and take away your ability to work well together. Included are things such as Origin stories," Tony tensed at that. "Important events or battles, or information that may help in your battle against Thanos. The room is enchanted so no one can leave now that you are in here and I got some help from a friend to enchant the room so that each day you spend in here is a second outside the room. I have also made it so the adjoining room that is normally a bathroom is now connected to not only a bathroom but also several bedrooms and in the room are some other… relaxants… for those who have painful memories in the videos and would prefer not to relive those moments. Happy Watching! Sincerely Syn." At the end of the reading, Tony along with everyone else had stilled in either shock, worry, fear, or surprise. In Tony's case, it was all four. He immediately moved towards the door and attempted to open it.

"Well, Syn wasn't lying about the door thing. FRIDAY? Any chance of getting this open?" There was no reply. "FRIDAY?" still nothing, "oh crap." Tony formed a gauntlet around his arm and activated the repulsor. The beam of energy didn't even touch the door instead dissolving into some magical shield. "Well, we aren't leaving anytime soon then." he turned to find everyone looking at him the same expressions on their faces that had appeared after the reading.

"Who's Syn?" asked Wanda confused.

"The name sounds familiar," Thor said thinking.

"Do you not remember Brother?" smirked Loki, "Syn was the Goddess of Truth, she left Asgard to go on an expedition before we were born. No one heard from her since."

"Of course, you always did pay more attention in our lessons." smiled Thor. "Do you know her Brunhilde?" Valkyrie sighed.

"Yes, she helped your father with some stuff in Hela's time. She seemed trustworthy."

"We should watch the disks then." decided Wong. Strange nodded in agreement.

"If they are about the people in this room it will be simple to tell if they are lies," stated Vision from where he floated near Wanda. _They may have made up_ noted Tony.

T'challa picked up the disk labelled 1 and moved towards a DVD player in the wall beside the giant screen of the cinema. Everyone took seats. Tony sat near the back with Rhodey, Peter, Bruce, T'challa, Shuri and several of the others. The Rogues others sat in front of them. The screen lit up to reveal white words on a black background.

 **I forgot to mention. The disks cannot be removed once place in the player. Sorry about that, precautions you know? The First video is an origin story. The person that it's about, I'm sorry, this will be bad, really quite bad.**

"Who has the worst origin story in the room?" asked Scott looking around.

"That could mean at least half of us," said Barnes, the worry clear on his face. _Crap, crap, crap, crap. A bad origin story, check, the source of distrust and confusion in the team? Check, please don't be about me, please don't be about me, please…_ Tony chanted in his head mask firmly in place, Rhodey glanced at him in worry, he might've put the pieces together, or maybe it was because Tony had become unnaturally stiff and still.

 **Remember you can leave the room at any time. Again I'm sorry. Without further ado, here is the origin story of IRON MAN. -Syn.**

 _Fuck._


	12. Back in Black

Credit for the Transcript of Iron Man (2008) goes to Airbrushed for their similar fic on this website

-o-

"So the first film is about Stark." groaned Clint but Natasha sent him a look to silence him.

"Tony? You okay?" murmured Rhodey to his petrified best friend. Tony looked at him eyes panicked but in a second it was gone, replaced by the usual public mask.

"I'm fine, let's just get this over with." Everyone else who had noticed Tony's reaction were confused, minus Natasha, Bruce, and of course Rhodes. This was of course because of the frequent wipes that Tony had done of his file before the fall of shield.

 **When the screen comes to life, there's a wide view of military vehicles driving down a dirt road in a desert area. AC/DC's 'Back in Black' can be heard,**

"We should have known, the opening track's AC/DC, of course it's Tony." smiled Bruce. Tony gave a weak smile back.

 **The words 'Kunar Province, Afghanistan' appear on the bottom of the screen.  
The shot changes again to show a radio on the floor of one of the vehicles, the source of the music, then shifts to someone holding a glass of scotch.**

"And yet another indication it's Anthony." chuckled Thor. **  
The camera moves up to reveal Tony Stark, dressed in a suit and sunglasses, getting awkward glances from the soldiers in the vehicle. Trying to relieve the tension and break the silence, he begins to speak.  
"I feel like you're driving me to a court martial. This is crazy. What did I do?"  
There are more awkward glances from the soldiers but no one says anything, so he continues. "I feel like you're going to pull over and snuff me. What, you're not allowed to talk?" Tony turns to look at the soldier next to him, who has been trying very hard not to make eye contact with the intimidating billionaire, "Hey, Forrest!"**

Steve couldn't help himself.

"You shouldn't disrespect the soldiers Tony." Tony just shrugged.

"Just trying to ease the tension." **  
"We can talk, Sir."  
"Oh, I see. So it's personal?" He looks away from the nervous soldier in mock offence, until the soldier driving the vehicle answers.**

 _It always is._ Thought Wanda bitterly, then caught herself. She glanced at Vision hesitantly almost as if he could hear her, which was stupid, he couldn't, right? **  
"No, you intimidate them."  
"Good god, you're a woman. I honestly… I couldn't have called that. I mean I'd apologize but isn't that what we're going for here?" This earns him a smile from the soldier next to him and he continues, "I thought of you as a soldier first."**

"Tony," sighed Natasha disapprovingly as several of the others chuckled lightly. **  
"I'm an airman." She corrects him.  
"You have, actually, excellent bone structure there. I'm kind of having a hard time not looking at you now. Is that weird?" This earns him an honest laugh from all the passengers. "Come on, it's okay, laugh!" The soldier in the passenger seat turns around, **

"Smooth save," chuckled Sam. This was just typical Tony, playboy/womanizer extraordinaire.

 **"Sir, I have a question to ask."  
"Yes, please."  
"Is it true you went 12 for 12 with last year's maximum cover models?"**

Clint gave a low whistle,

"Damn," Quill said impressed. Gamora just sighed and flicked him. **  
"That is an excellent question. Yes and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict, but fortunately, the Christmas cover was twins. Anything else?"  
The soldier next to him raises his hand a bit hesitant, earning him a look from the billionaire. "You're kidding me with the hand up, right?"**

"Tony," scolded Steve, Tony just rolled his eyes and grasped his hands in an attempt to hide the shaking. **  
"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?" He asks, hand still slightly risen.  
"Yes. It's very cool." Tony responds and the young soldier smiles, pulling out a camera and handing it to the one in the passenger seat.**

"See I can do nice." Tony smirked at Rhodey.

"I never said you couldn't."

"It was definitely implied."

 **They scoot closer together and Tony adds, "I don't want to see this on your MySpace page." The soldier smiles and holds his hand up in a peace sign, "Please, no gang signs," He brings his hand down and the billionaire looks over at him, "No throw it up, I'm kidding. Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace."**

"What does that mean?" asked Mantis curiously.

"I use to be a weapons developer for the military." Tony explained. Mantis gave a soft

"Oh," and Rocket's eyes gleamed. He was liking Stark more with every sentence.

 **The soldier in the passenger seat seems to be struggling with the camera.  
"Come on, hurry up," The one posing with Tony says, "Just click it. Don't change any settings." Suddenly the vehicle in front explodes, causing everyone to jump. **

At the loud explosion amplified through the room at least half of the people leapt to their feet. Bucky's eyes were wide and he was very confused for several seconds. Tony groaned and put his head in his hands which wasn't that easy since he was shaking so much. Rhodey wanted to comfort his friend except he knew, from experience that Tony hated being touched (especially on the back) when he was freaking out. Peter's eyes were wide in fear as he gazed at the screen having drawn his legs up to his chest.

 **"Contact left!" The driver shouts as pieces of the exploded vehicle land on the hood of their own. "Contact left!"  
"What's going on? What have we got?!" The look on Stark's face is pure panic, but the soldiers ignore his question. The female soldier steps out and is immediately shot down.  
The passenger grabs his weapon and yells into the back, **

**"Jimmy, stay with Stark!"  
The soldier complies, yelling to the horrified billionaire, **

**"Stay down!"  
"Yeah…" Tony gasps, his eyes wide with fear as he sinks further to the floor. The other soldier is out of the car now, setting up his gun on the hood of the vehicle when he is also shot, cracking the front windshield and splattering it with blood.**

Groot was looking at the screen with a mixture of fascination and horror on his face, the usual teenager then. **  
"Son of a bitch!" Jimmy readies his weapon now and gets out, closing the door.  
"Wait, wait, wait! Give me a gun!"**

"Yeah, give him a gun," yelled Quill at the screen. Tony plugged his ears with his fingers in an attempt to block out the screams. **  
"Stay here!" Jimmy shouts back through the glass window. When he turns around, there's an explosion, killing the soldier instantly and piercing holes into the side of the vehicle, allowing rays of light to stream in. There's a ringing sound as Tony looks around contemplating his options. Finally, he opens the door and stumbles out of the vehicle.**

"Don't get out you imbecile." groaned Shuri, she had heard about this when researching Stark Industries, to pass the time and find out more about the outside world's first superhero in decades, when she was seven. Everyone was staring at the screen in horror.

 **Tony's running away, explosions happening all around him. He dives behind a rock for cover and pulls out his phone to send a message when a bomb lands next to him. He looks over, only to see the words 'Stark Industries' written on the side.**

"Crap," groaned Steve. Tony looked up unable to help himself.

"Language," he smirked at the annoyed look on Steve's face before attempting to look back at the screen.

 **Tony's eyes go wide as he struggles to stand up and back away, but the rock he took cover behind is in his way and it's too late. The bomb goes off and he's sent flying backwards into the sand. He's sprawled on his back, the ringing having returned.**

 _Stark got hit?_ Wanda thought _He was supposed to be the one blowing people up with the bombs, not being blown up himself._

 **His eyes are scanning the area around him all while trying desperately to stay open. He grunts in pain and tilts his head up to look at his chest; crimson red is bleeding through his dress shirt. He rips it open to reveal a bullet proof vest, the blood seeping through. There's a pained gasp and the screen fades to white.**

Tony groaned again as his chest stabbed with phantom pain, he rubbed the glowing light of the new Arc Reactor.

"That's how…" Sam whispered shocked. "Why you needed…"

"The arc reactor, yes," muttered Tony.

"How bad was it?" asked Bucky his skin pale.

"Whole lotta shrapnel, straight to the heart," Tony grumbled. Those who didn't know about the purpose of the original Arc reactor were shocked and sickened. Dr Strange was curious though.

"Why didn't it kill you?" Rhodey, however, answered this time, probably to spare Tony from the bombardment of questions.

"Stark Industries weapon designed to, um, prolong suffering. Intended for the bad guys, terrorists and what not. The shrapnel takes a while to reach the organs." People were once again shocked.

 **There are voices in the background speaking in different languages, the white screen slowly fading to some kind of cloth. The view changes and a bag is ripped off of Tony's head. There are cuts on his face, dry blood smeared around them. A group of men are standing behind him with weapons, and he has to blink a few times as his eyes adjust to the light and his ears register the voices around him. He turns his head to get a better view, and his face is one of complete panic once again. There is a brief shot of someone holding a camera and filming him before the focus returns to Tony and pans out. His chest is bandaged and there is blood seeping through. He's tied to a chair and the men surrounding him are holding their guns to his head, while one is reading a sheet of paper and speaking a different language.  
** "Not looking my best there" joked Tony feebly.

"Who were they," asked Drax. "The ones who captured you."

"Group of terrorists called themselves the 10 Rings," Natasha said, Tony looked at her blankly, she gave him a supportive smile.

"Why did they want you?" asked Scott. Tony grimaced, _Jericho, The Jericho, build me the Jericho, the missile you demonstrated, no, no, no, water, so much water._

"You'll probably find out." With that Tony closed his eyes, everyone stopped their questioning and glanced at each emotion's ranging from worry, to anger, to indifference (or their attempt at it), Tony, as usual, pushed any emotion down into the depths of his soul, preparing for the hour or so of bad memories that were coming.


	13. Feared or Respected?

**"Tony Stark." The screen cuts from black to the view of a stage, a picture of Tony on both sides and banners hanging from the ceiling that says 'Apogee Award.' Words appear on the bottom of the screen now in white font, reading 'Las Vegas, 36 Hours Earlier.'**

 _And now they will get to see how much of a douchebag I was._ Thought Tony bitterly. **  
"Visionary, genius." The pictures of Stark change into one of him on a magazine cover, arms folded across his chest. The camera focuses on one of them and the voice from the video continues talking, "American Patriot."**

Clint snorted slightly, Natasha glared at him. **  
The picture is now black and white, and shows Tony as a child, "Even from an early age, son of the legendary weapons developer Howard Stark quickly stole the spotlight with his brilliant and unique mind. At age four, he built his first circuit board."**

"Woah," whispered Peter. **  
"At age six, his first engine. And at seventeen, he graduated summa cum laude from MIT."**

Quill whistled and Rocket looked at him.

"What's MIT?"

"It's a technology school," explained Quill. "That's a super young age to go there." **  
"Then, the passing of a titan," The picture changes to one of Howard in a newspaper article titled 'Howard and Maria Stark Die in Car Accident on Long Island.' Below it, the subtitle reads, 'Thousands to Attend Funeral in Manhattan for Founder and President of Stark Industries,' accompanied by a picture a casket draped in an American flag, being carried by a group of soldiers.**

Bucky winced and Steve nervously glanced at Tony. Tony was looking absolutely anywhere but at him. **  
"Howard Starks lifelong friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to fill the gap left in by the legendary founder, until at age 21, the prodigal son returns, and is anointed the CEO of Stark Industries." A few more pictures pass by before the screen shows one of Tony with Stane behind him, looking over his shoulder.  
** "And I never thought I'd see the day." sighed Natasha Tony looked at her.

"What?" He asked. Natasha smirked.

"You without a goatee." **  
The crowd applauds and the voice continues speaking, "With the keys to the kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting. Today, Tony Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry, by ensuring freedom and protecting America and her interests around the globe." The video ends and the podium on stage now has a spotlight shining on it, revealing a man in uniform.  
** "Right, sorry about that," Tony muttered to Rhodey, Rhodey just rolled his eyes. **  
"As liaison to Stark Industries," He begins, "I've had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot. He is my friend, and he is my great mentor."**

"Aww, Platypus, I never knew I meant so much to you." **  
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present this year's Apogee award to Mr Tony Stark."**

"Not bad," muttered Bruce.

 **There's another round of applause, and award music begins playing. When no one walks up, Rhodey speaks into the mic, "Tony?"  
The Colonel looks into the audience for his friend when he spots the man identified as Obadiah Stane, who shakes his (very bald) head. He stands from his seat and makes his way up to the podium, accepting the award on the billionaire's behalf.**

"He couldn't have told you I wasn't there before?" glared Tony at the screen.

"Or, you could've been there," mentioned Rhodey.

"I was doing… other things." **  
"Thank you, Colonel."  
"Thanks for the save." He replies and steps aside as the older, white-bearded man begins to speak into the microphone.**

"He wouldn't need saving if you told him beforehand," growled Tony. People looked at him startled. Wasn't he Tony's Godfather? **  
"This is beautiful. Thank you. Thank you all very much. This is wonderful." He holds it up and stares at it for a moment before continuing, "Well, I'm not Tony Stark."**

"Ha, Ha," said Quill sarcastically. **  
The crowd laughs a bit before he keeps talking, "But if I were Tony, I would tell you how honoured I feel and what a joy it is to receive this very prestigious award. Tony, you know… the best thing about Tony is also the worst thing; He's always working."  
The scene changes to Tony in the casino, surrounded by women. He rolls his dice and everyone cheers as he turns around giving a bow to Happy and chanting, "Work it! Come on!"**

"Yes… 'working.'" sighed Sam. Rocket snickered. **  
A woman has her hands all over him as Rhodey approaches from behind, just as Tony is saying something to her, his voice low and barely audible, "We should just stay till the morning."  
"You are unbelievable," He cuts in, obviously annoyed.  
Tony turns to his friend and the woman backs off. "Oh, no! Did they rope you into this?"  
"Nobody roped me into anything!" Rhodey replies, shaking his head.  
"I'm so sorry."**

 _Wow, he apologized._ Wanda thought nastily. **  
Rhodey just ignores him and continues, "But they told me that if I presented you with an award, you'd be deeply honoured."**

"If I had been there I would be deeply honoured," reassured Tony.

"You gave the award away in like a minute," said Rhodey rolling his eyes. **  
"Of course I'd be deeply honoured! And it's you, that's great. So when do we do it?" Tony interjects.  
"It's right here; here you go." He holds up the award and Tony takes it, obviously disinterested.  
"There it is; that was easy." At the irritated look from Rhodey, he adds, "I'm so sorry."  
"Yeah, it's okay."  
"Wow, would you look at that," The genius turns away from his friend and hands the award off to the woman from before, "That's something else. I don't have any of those floating around." He bends over and gathers the dice in his hand, "We're gonna let it ride!" He holds the dice up to the woman, "Give me a hand, will you? Give me a little something-something." She blows on the dice before Tony brings it toward Rhodey next, "Okay, you too."  
"I don't blow on a man's dice."  
"Come on, Honey Bear!"**

"Do you give everyone an alternate name Anthony?" asked Thor.

"It's called a nickname brother." sighed Loki.

"Point Break, I give most people a nickname," smirked Tony. **  
"I don't blow on a man's dice," Rhodey repeats, shaking his head and swatting Tony's hand away, causing the dice to fly out and roll on the table.  
"There it is! Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes rolls! And…"  
The roll is bad and Rhodey shrugs, to which Tony just says, "Two craps, line away."**

"Ouch," said Scott sympathetically. Rhodey rolled his eyes at Tony, who was smirking. **  
"That's what happens."  
"Worse things have happened; I think we're going to be fine. Colour me up, William."  
"This is where I exit. Tomorrow, don't be late!" Rhodey says, pointing to his friend.  
"Yeah, you can count on it."**

"You're always late." sighed Natasha, Tony shrugged tensing ever so slightly at communicating with the Rogues others. **  
"I'm serious!"  
"I know I know!" Tony points back as Rhodey walks away, holding up his award, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's!" He hands the award to a man dressed in costume, "There you go."**

"You just gave it away?" asked Bruce surprised.

"I get plenty every year," said Tony shrugging. **  
The scene changes and Happy is opening a car door for Tony, who stops short when his name is yelled.**

Peter grinned at seeing Happy. **  
"Mr Stark! Excuse me, Mr Stark!" An attractive young blonde starts walking up to him but is stops by one of Tony's guards. "Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair Magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"**

Tony groaned, realising what was coming. **  
"She's cute," Happy mumbles next to Tony.  
"She's alright?" He spins to face her, "Hi."  
"Hi. It's okay?"  
"Yeah, okay, go." He steps closer and she holds a voice recorder up to him.  
"You've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"  
"Absolutely ridiculous, I don't paint." He deadpans, and she immediately continues with a follow-up question.**

Shuri snickered at that. **  
"And what do you say to your other nickname? The Merchant of Death." She raises an eyebrow, her jaw set.**

"What?" asked Steve confused.

"From when I sold weapons," muttered Tony. **  
"That's not bad. Let me guess, Berkeley?"  
"Brown, actually." She corrects him.  
"Well, Ms Brown. It's an imperfect world but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."  
"Rehearse that much?" She raises her eyebrow again, obviously not convinced.  
"Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime."  
"I can see that."  
"I'd like to show you first-hand."**

Quill snorted and Gamora glared at him. **  
"All I want is a serious answer."  
"Alright, here's serious. My old man had a philosophy, 'Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.'"**

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. **  
"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks." She retorts.  
"My father helped defeat the Nazi's. He worked on the Manhattan project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero."  
"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering."  
"Tell me," He leans a little closer to the voice recorder, "do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey."  
"You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" **

"Too many." sighed Rhodey, several people glanced at Tony upon hearing that. **  
He shrugs, "I'd be prepared to lose a few with you."**

Immediately Tony put a hand over Peter's eyes. Peter immediately began squirming.

"Mr S- Tony? What's happening?" **  
The scene immediately changes and the two are falling onto a bed together, Christine on top with much less clothes than before, until Tony rolls them over and they fall off the bed with a laugh.**

Most everyone groaned at that.

"I really did not want to see that." moaned Clint closing his eyes.

"What is it?" asked Peter squirming some more.

"Just me being an idiot." sighed Tony pulling his hand away when the scene changed. **  
The next thing we see is the reporter lying nude on the bed, asleep beneath the white sheets.**

Realising what had happened Peter went tomato red, immediately glad Mr Stark had covered his eyes. **  
"Good morning," The familiar British voice can be heard and the woman snaps her eyes open with a startled gasp,**

Vision jumped ever so slightly at hearing JARVIS, it was odd having the voice and sort of memories of the AI now on the screen.

 **"It's 7:00 AM; the weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist to shoulder high lines." The windows light up as Christine stands from the bed, moving to look out the window. The view zooms out over the AI's voice to reveal Tony's Malibu home and the ocean around it. "High tide will be at 10:52 AM."**

"That's your house?" asked Scott in awe.

"Was my house." corrected Tony.

"Oh yeah, didn't it get blown up?" asked Bruce.

"Something like that." **  
The interior of the house is shown, where Christine is wearing Tony's dress shirt from the night before, and her panties.  
"Tony? Hey, Tony?"  
The blonde wanders around a bit, taking in her surroundings before she comes to a blue panel on the wall. She hesitates for a minute, but curiosity wins and she reaches for it. Immediately there is a beeping noise, and the panel blinks red before the AI speaks up again, "You are not authorized to access this area."  
"Jesus!" She recoils, reeling around when another voice is heard, though this one is familiar.  
"That's JARVIS. He runs the house."**

Several glances were thrown towards Vision at this, especially from the people who didn't know.

 **A strawberry blonde appears, dressed in professional dress clothes and holding clothes on a hanger. "I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go."  
The blonde strides up to her with a grin, "You must be the famous Pepper Potts."  
"Indeed I am."**

"I forgot she used to be your personal assistant," said Sam.

"What is she now?" asked Mantis curiously.

"The CEO of Stark Industries and my wife," replied Tony. **  
"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning."**

"She's gonna pay for that." smiled Tony. **  
Pepper hesitates for a moment, and if she's taken aback by the rude comment she does a pretty good job at hiding it. "I do anything and everything that Mr Stark requires," She gives a fake smile and a nod, "Including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?"**

Everyone laughed.

"Burn." chuckled Sam.

"Is this woman trash?" asked Drax confused. Quill just shook his head sighing. **  
The shot changes to Tony working in his shop, music blasting in the background.  
"Give me an exploded view," He glances at a monitor off to the side showing the engine he is currently working on.  
"The compression in cylinder three appears to be low."  
"Log that."  
In the background, Pepper is typing in the access code to his workshop. When she enters, the music lowers and she can be heard talking on the phone, "I'm gonna try again, right now."  
"Please don't turn down my music," Tony doesn't even look up from his task as he says this.  
"I'll keep you posted." She ignores him and hangs up the phone before addressing him, "You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now."  
"How'd she take it?"  
"Like a champ."  
He's studying a piece of the engine when he asks, "Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?"  
The view widens to reveal Tony kneeling on the floor in front of the car he's working on when Pepper continues, "Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago."**

"Great job at not being late," commented Valkyrie. **  
"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there."**

"That is a sensible point," Shuri commented. T'challa rolled his eyes at her. **  
"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of the door."  
He ignores her and moves to sit on the wheel of the car, "Doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?"  
"Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it, yes or no?"**

"Jackson Pollock…" thought Rocket. "Didn't you say your ship would look like that under a blacklight Quill?" Everyone glanced at Quill who went slightly red.

"For good reason," he replied, Gamora rolled her eyes. **  
"Is it a good representation of his spring period?"  
"No. The springs was actually the neighbourhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked- not spring like the season."  
"So?"  
"I think it's a fair example. I think it's incredibly overpriced."**

"The selling point." sighed Bruce, Tony grinned. **  
"I need it. Buy it. Store it." He stands and walks past her, where she quickly follows behind.  
"Okay. The MIT commencement speech-"  
"Is in June," He cuts her off, "Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way down..."**

"You remembered when it was, I'm impressed," said Rhodey. Tony rolled his eyes. **  
"They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes."  
"Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me."  
"I need you to sign this before you get on the plane," she shuffles through some papers and opens a folder, handing him a pen.  
"What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?"  
"As a matter of fact, I do."  
"I don't like it when you have plans."  
She shakes her head, "I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday."  
"It's your birthday?"  
"Yes."  
"I knew that. Already?"**

"Of course you didn't remember," said Wanda but her voice lacked its usual bite. **  
She gives him a genuine smile before she responds, "Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year."  
"Get yourself something nice from me." His voice is gentle and he smiles back, taking the pen.  
"I already did."  
"And?"  
"Oh, it was very nice."  
"Yeah?"  
"Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr Stark."  
"You're welcome, Miss. Potts." He gives her a genuine smile, and she returns it.**

"Why did it take so long for you to start dating again?" asked Natasha curiously. Tony didn't answer but thought, _She deserved someone better._ **  
Pepper hands him a cup and he drinks its contents before handing it back to her with an, "Okay."  
The next shot is of a white sports car speeding down the road, a black car not far behind. They both pull into a parking lot, where Stark Industries is written on almost everything. There's a plane waiting and Rhodey is standing at the top of the stairs. Tony steps out of the white car and Happy out of the black one.  
"You're good! I thought I lost you back there!" Tony shouts to Happy who is walking around to the back of his car.  
"You did Sir. I had to cut across Mulholland." He replies as he grabs a few bags out the trunk.  
"I got you. I got you."**

"He seems a lot less grouchy," commented Peter before realising what he said.

"The joys of being young." sighed Tony.

"This was only 10 years ago." mentioned Strange, Tony shushed him. **  
They're walking up to the plane and a very annoyed looking Rhodey.  
"What's wrong with you?" He shouts as Tony makes his way up the steps.  
"What?"  
"Three hours."**

"Whoops," said Scott. **  
"I got caught doing a piece for Vanity Fair," Tony replies, trying to sound innocent.**

There was a general snicker at that. **  
"For three hours. For three hours, you got me standing here."**

"You could've sat down," suggested Wong. **  
"Waiting on you now." He says, stepping into the plane with Happy behind him, "Let's go. Come on." When Rhodey steps in, Tony can be heard from inside, "wheels up! Rock N Roll!"  
There is a brief shot of the Stark Industries plane before it reveals the interior, where Rhodey and Tony are sitting across from one another. A flight attendant lays down a pair of forks before walking off. Tony gives her a quick glance then turns back to Rhodey.  
"What you reading, Platypus?"  
The Colonel doesn't even look up from his newspaper, "Nothing."  
"Come on sour patch, don't be mad."**

"I have the most nicknames lined up for you," smirked Tony. Rhodey sighed.

"Whatever you say, Mr Stank." Tony's smile immediately disappeared and he rolled his eyes. **  
"I told you I'm not mad. I'm indifferent, okay?"  
"I said I was sorry." The billionaire says, just as another flight attendant approaches.  
"Good morning, Mr Stark," She smiles at him.  
"You don't need to apologize to me, I'm your man," Rhodey continues.  
"Hi, I told him I was sorry, but he…" He looks up at the woman now, who seems to be ignoring the men's bickering.  
"Hot towel?"  
"I'm just indifferent right now. You don't respect yourself, so I know you don't respect me." The Colonel continues talking despite the woman's presence.  
"I respect you-"  
"I'm just your babysitter, so when you need your diaper changed… thank you," He glances at the flight attendant who handed him a towel, "Let me know, and I'll get you a bottle, okay?"  
Tony doesn't even seem to acknowledge the statement. "Hey! Heat up a sake, will you? Thanks for reminding me."**

"Do you always drink?" asked Loki remembering when from the tower. Tony shrugged.

"Only when I want to, or am nervous." _Or trying to suppress emotions._ **  
"No, I'm not talking… we're not drinking! We're working right now." Rhodey protests, but Tony isn't having it.  
"You can't have sashimi without sake!"**

"You're having sashimi as well now?" asked Sam. Tony nodded.

"You can't have sake without sashimi." **  
"You are constitutionally incapable of being responsible."  
"It would be irresponsible not to drink. I'm just talking about a nightcap." The genius explains as the woman reappears.  
"Hot sake?"  
"Yes, two, please," Tony answers before his friend can refuse.  
"No, I'm not drinking. I don't want any."  
The next second there's music playing and Tony and Rhodes can be seen sitting on the couch with their drinks. Rhodey has his arm on Tony's shoulder and starts rambling on about something the billionaire is showing no interest in.**

"You got Rhodey drunk?" said Bruce. "I'm impressed."

"How were you not drunk?" asked Rhodey. "You had twice as much as me."

"Not many humans can hold alcohol like you my friend." boomed Thor. **  
"That's what I'm talking about. When I get up in the morning, and I put on my uniform, you know what I recognize. I see in that mirror that every person that's got this uniform on got my back!"**

Rhodey groaned at that as the others snickered. **  
Tony sits up a bit before replying to his intoxicated friend, "Hey, you know what? I'm not like you, I'm not cut out-"  
"No, no! You don't have to be like me! But you're more than what you are!" Rhodey cuts him off.  
The genius gets comfortable and gestures to the flight attendants who are now visible and dancing, their shirts rolled up and drinks in their hands, "Can you excuse me if I'm a bit distracted here?"**

"Why did they agree to that?" asked Wanda disgusted.

"I think they actually suggested it," said Tony. **  
"No! You can't be distracted right now, listen to me!"  
The words 'Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan' appear on the screen, showing a brief view of the base and the soldiers there. The Stark Industries plane has landed and Tony is coming down the steps, buttoning his suit before walking up to the line of men in uniform.**

"And we're back to our regularly scheduled programming." sighed Tony leaning back in his seat. **  
"General," He holds out his hand and they shake.  
"Welcome, Mr Stark. We look forward to your weapons presentation." He clasps his hands behind his back and gives the genius a nod.  
"Thanks," He turns to the man next to the general and shakes his hand as well, saying something in what must be his native language.  
Tony is standing in his suit and sunglasses, a view of mountains in the background, "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"**

Tony sighed leaning his head in his hand. **  
"With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries ' Freedom Line," He puts his hands in his pockets and continues, "It's the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology. They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far." The view is further out now, revealing a wider shot of the mountains, the soldiers present, and the missile in question. The billionaire gestures to the weapon, "Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves."**

 _So he actually thought they were for the 'bad guys'_ thought Wanda surprised. **  
He makes a motion with his hand and there's a close up on the weapon. The soldiers turn their attention towards it once it angles upwards, one of the missiles firing up and shooting into the air. The camera follows it and it breaks off into a number of smaller missiles, which begin flying towards the mountain in the background.  
Suddenly the shot is back on Tony, just as the missiles make contact with the landscape, "For your consideration," He raises his arms as a huge explosion sends clouds of dust into the air, "The Jericho." The blast pushes forward, almost causing the billionaire to lose his balance, and blows the hats off of the soldiers.**

Bucky winced along with Tony who had paled again. Rocket gaped at the screen in admiration. Steve was quite shocked, how had he and Bucky beaten Tony? Actually, now that he thought of it Tony barely used any of his actual weaponry when fighting and mostly just stuck to close combat. Steve paled. Tony had gone easy on them and Steve had flipped out. **  
A crate is opening now, cool air escaping as a shelf of alcoholic beverages rises up. Tony takes what appears to be scotch, "I'll be throwing one of these in with every purchase of 500 million or more; to peace!"**

"Can I have one of those for my room?" asked Valkyrie interested.

"Sure," replied Tony shrugging. "I have several in storage."

 **He raises his glass and takes a sip just as his phone begins to buzz. He takes it out of his pocket and flips it open, revealing the bald man from the award ceremony.  
"Tony!"  
"Obie, what are you doing up?"  
"I couldn't sleep until I found out how it went. How'd it go?" The man on the screen replies.**

"Yeah, sure. How the 'weapons presentation' went." hissed Tony so no one but Rhodey heard. "Not the _other_ things you had planned." **  
"It went great. Looks like it's going to be an early Christmas."  
"Hey! Way to go, my boy! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"  
"Why aren't you wearing those pyjamas I got you?"  
"Goodnight, Tony."  
The billionaire climbs into the vehicle from before, a soldier shutting the door for him just as Colonel Rhodes walks up.  
"Hey, Tony."  
"I'm sorry; this is the Fun-Vee." He leans his head out the window and looks behind him, "The Hum-Drum-Vee is back there."**

"I think I prefer the Hum-Drum-Vee," muttered Rhodey, Tony sighed. **  
"Nice job." He ignores the comment and taps the door of the vehicle.  
"See you back at base."  
'Back in Black' can be heard again, and the view of the cars driving down the road is back on the screen before the lead vehicle blows up. **

"And here is where shit gets serious." sighed Tony rubbing his face.

"What happened?" asked Scott curious.

"I'm sure it will be shown, I just hope it doesn't show the whole 3 months," Tony replied. Rhodey glanced at him worried, although admittedly he wanted to know what happened after all Tony never talked about the past. Though it was for good reason.


	14. Jericho

**A very pained looking Tony Stark flashes on the screen, being held down. There's a brief view of cheap medical supplies if they could even be called that before it changes to one of the genius again; a hole carved in his chest and blood littering his torso. He's being held down as he lets out a chilling, anguished scream, the 'operation' continuing despite his obvious pain.**

There were several shouts of horror throughout the room. Peter looked horrified and ready to puke. Tony had gone the colour of sour milk and was rubbing the new arc reactor excessively. **  
Something is being lowered into the void of Tony's chest by a pair of gloved hands before a cloth is held over the genius's face and he falls unconscious.**

"What the fuck was that!" yelled Sam.

"ARE THEY MAD?!" yelled Bruce standing up and eyes flashing green. "THAT SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU!"

Tony coughed and attempted to place the mask back in place.

"Brucie, you should know by now. I am far too hard to kill." his voice was strained though. Peter had drawn his legs back up to his chest, had his hands over his mouth and eyes wide. He kept on making these strange horrified squeaking sounds. Shuri was just as angry as Bruce, Strange seemed to be as well. Maybe it was a Doctor thing.

"T-That's. You didn't say it was without anaesthetic." gaped Rhodey staring between his friend and the screen in horror.

"Well, you know terrorists. They have like, a pain fetish or something." Tony said as calmly as he could trying to ignore the rising panic in his throat and churning stomach, _why do I have to live on a diet of alcohol and coffee?_ "I tell you beyond the pain, the feeling of hands on your organs is really weird." his voice was getting more strained with every word and he looked ready to faint. The others were staring sickened at the screen but Vision was looking, if possible, the most horrified. (which was strange considering the whole Android thing)

"Are these fiends dead?" roared Thor eyes crackling.

"Yep, most of those guys anyway. Not so much the 10 Rings but those guys yes," replied Tony weakly.

"This wasn't in your file," said Natasha tentatively.

"I've been hacking SHIELD and editing their files since I first became Iron Man." laughed Tony bitterly.

"Then… that means," said Clint confused.

"I knew who Natashalie was before hiring her, yes." he rubbed his temples ignoring Natasha's shocked expression. "Can we just get this over with?" Sighed Tony attempting, and failing, at keeping the pleading out of his voice. **  
The camera is zooming in on an unconscious Tony Stark. Moments later, there's a distant scream and his eyes snap open. He shivers, letting out a shuddering breath that's visible in the cool air. Coughing, he brings his hand up to his nose, pulling out a breathing tube that seems to be infinite in length.**

Wanda, along with several others, grimaced.

"Ugh." groaned Scott.

 **The sound of it being pulled out can be heard, and he tries his best to suppress a gag, before finally ripping it off his nose, along with the tape that once held it in place. When he turns his head, his breath is perceptible, revealing just how cold it is. His eyes are set on a glass of water, and he reaches for it, only to succeed in knocking it to the ground.**

Most everyone winced at that.

 **He has a short coughing fit, clenching his shivering hands and glancing at a man shaving his face in front of a cracked, rusty mirror, humming to himself. Tony ignores him for now and turns back to his task. He rolls over a bit to further his reach for the second bottle of water but stops short when there's a painful tug on his chest.**

"What are you connected to?" asked Quill looking queasy. **  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man who's shaving in the mirror says.**

 _Yinsen._ Thought Tony trying to stop fainting completely. _Don't waste it, don't waste it._

No one even questioned Tony when he stood up and without a word walked into the adjoining room. After the door closed Tony dashed to the bathroom retching and vomited into the pristine bowl. He leant against the wall, choking out sobs, and coughing at the burning in his throat. _Fuck…_ Several minutes later he clambered to his feet flushing the toilet and turning on the tap. He stared at the water streaming out and into a grey, stone bowl. _Jericho, build it, merchant of death. So wet, so cold, the air. Where did the air go. Help. Pepper. Please god no._ He turned off the water abruptly he couldn't breathe. The worst part was being unable to breathe, deep breath, deep breath, and it doesn't even work. _Fuck you oxygen._ Gasping, Tony stumbled back into the adjoining room, heart racing and vision blurring. Was that from tears? Or just panic? Oh good. He had just spotted a bar. He grabbed the first bottle of scotch he laid his eyes and and clutching a glass, sunk to the floor. Hands shaking he poured the liquid into the glass and downed it. Again, and again, and again. Soon he stumbled back to the bathroom to puke again. Then the cycle repeated, another, another, another. Tony kept on spilling the scotch onto the carpet since he was shaking so much. The mantra of memories and swearing in his head was probably the cause. Anger suddenly overtaking him he jumped to his feet and growled to the air.

"Syn?! Since you seem so apologetic about making me spaz out why don't you actually do something to help me?" his eyes flashed and the, now empty, bottle and glass thudded to the floor. All of a sudden there was a flash and a bottle appeared on the table. Staggering over, Tony focused his eyes on it. His anxiety medication… He stared at it for several seconds before glaring at the ceiling.

"Yes, you are very comforting." he snarled, ready to throw the bottle of pills down the toilet when suddenly there was a crackle in his tiny earpiece that usually connected him to FRIDAY. Tony froze, unsure whether he should get his hopes up or not. There was a soft buzz and then he heard her.

"Boss? What is happening? I am very confused right now which I didn't know was possible" Tony immediately grinned.

"Oh, Fri, I am so glad to hear your voice. Basically, this asshole God trapped the 'Avengers and Co.' in the cinema and is getting us to watch these videos about the past and shit to 'understand' one another better." he laughed, maybe it was the alcohol but he was giddy FRIDAY was back online.

"And what is the video you are watching?" she somehow sounded worried.

"My origin story…" he replied. Tony could imagine FRIDAY staring at him in horror.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just my usual bouts of panic attacks and alcoholism," he replied turning back to the bar.

"Do you have your medication?"

"Actually Syn, since she cares for me _so_ much, has magicked some pills for me." he rolled his eyes wiping them with the back of his hand.

"Then you should eat something, if there's food, and take them," FRIDAY said sternly. She really was drawing on Pepper.

"But-"

"Boss, it will help you calm down. No more alcohol either." Tony put down the bottle sighing.

"Fine, fine, fine." he sighed making his way over to a fruit bowl that had been placed on a counter. Grabbing an apple he now realised just how hungry he was. After eating several pieces of fruit he downed some pills without water and collapsed into a chair.

Meanwhile, back in the cinema after Tony had left the others glanced at one another worriedly.

"Should someone go after him?" asked T'challa sounding concerned.

"Maybe we should leave him be until the whole kidnapping thing is over," suggested Valkyrie, procuring a bottle from nowhere.

"That would probably be best. Tony likes being left alone when freaking out," said Rhodey fiddling with his hands. "It's why he locks himself in his lab for days on end." Rhodey then moved to sit where Tony had been sitting in an attempt to comfort Peter who was still frozen like a deer in headlights.

"So, um. Let's continue then," muttered Sam. **  
Without answering, Tony slowly turns to look back over his shoulder, revealing a car battery with wires connected to it.** **He grips the cables in his trembling hand and traces their path all the way to his torso. He releases a painful grunt when it tugs beneath the bandages, tapping on it a bit before he starts to rip off the white gauze. His breathing is getting heavier and heavier as he continues to tear away the bandage to reveal what the wires are connected to. Sitting in his chest is a rusty electromagnet, cables attached to the battery beside him, dry blood and scar tissue visible on the surrounding skin. His eyes go wide with fear as he struggles to keep his breathing steady.**

"A car battery…" breathed Rhodey rubbing his face tiredly, Bruce was angry again.

"The Rust on that thing…" he muttered angrily, then proceeded to swear and mutter under his breath. **  
The man from before is whistling and stirring food in a pan over a small fire, the camera slowly panning up to reveal Tony sitting on a cot, a broken mirror held in front of his chest. He's looking at it almost with disgust.  
"What the hell did you do to me?"  
There is a better view of the man now. He has glasses and a bit of grey stubble, and though he's mostly bald, there's still a thin bit of hair around the back of his head. He glances at the billionaire then back to his cooking before responding.  
"What I did? What I did is to save your life." The view changes to looking into the mirror and at the device imbedded in the brunette's chest as he continues talking, "I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there's a lot left, and it's headed into your atrial septum. "**

Those who didn't know were confused so Strange mentioned.

"His heart." this immediately made those who didn't know more horrified. **  
"Here, want to see?" The man holds up a glass bottle, jingling its contents, "I have a souvenir. Take a look." He tosses the bottle to Tony, who catches it and raises it to his face for a better look. He holds it up to the limited bit of light, the pieces of sharp metal rolling in the glass. "I've seen many wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs."**

"That's what Rhodes said." breathed Scott. **  
The billionaire speaks up, obviously not in the mood for small talk, "What is this?"  
"That is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart. Hm?" He gives the distraught genius a weak, fake smile, before turning back to his cooking.**

"That's genius. Especially for someone to do in a cave," muttered Shuri.

"You called someone genius, I'm surprised sister," whispered T'challa. She flicked him. **  
Tony self consciously zips up his jacket, eyeing the security camera in the far corner. Upon catching his gaze, the man tries an attempt at humour.  
"That's right; smile. We met once, you know, at a technical conference in Bern."  
"I don't remember."  
"No, you wouldn't. If I had been that drunk, I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on integrated circuits."**

"Impressive," said Valkyrie drinking from her own bottle. **  
"Where are we?" Tony says almost immediately, but before the man can answer there's a noise from the door. A hatch opens and a man yells into the room.**

"What's happening now." groaned Clint. **  
"Come on, stand up. Stand up!" The man's tone is just short of a whisper as he grabs Tony's arms and helps him stand. "Just do as I do." He commands, looking Stark straight in the eye. The door begins to unlock and they stand side by side, "Come on, put your hands up."**

Wanda bit her lip. She kept on feeling pity for Stark, which he didn't deserve. Right? **  
The door opens and a group of men pour into the room, all holdings weapons and aiming them at their prisoners. Tony looks at them confused before mumbling to the man next to him, "Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?"**

 _And he didn't know about the weapons either._ Why was Stark suddenly so hard to hate? **  
"Do you understand me? Do as I do!" The man snaps back, and the billionaire falls silent, glaring daggers at their captors. The leader strolls in a larger man with a dark beard, holding a rolled up piece of paper. He begins to speak a different language, and when he finishes his sentence, he nods to the man next to Tony as an indication for him to translate.  
"He says, 'Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America. He is honoured.'"**

"Mass murderer," growled Rhodey under his breath. **  
The leader continues talking, and the man translates again, "He wants you to build the missile; the Jericho missile that you demonstrated." Their captor hands them a picture, and the man next to Tony takes and holds it open for him to see, "This one."**

"Oh, No…," said Bucky horrified.

"He didn't actually build it though?" asked Quill worried.

"No, he didn't," replied Rhodey smiling slightly. **  
Tony looks the leader straight in the eye upon seeing the picture, "I refuse."**

"That's not what you say if you want to live." moaned Clint. **  
The scene changes immediately and Tony is being held underwater, thrashing and screaming for air. When he's finally pulled back up by the hair, he gasps for breath, spitting the water out of his mouth. Before he has a chance to completely catch his breath, he's shoved back under, the water reaching the cables in his chest and shocking him in the process. He's pulled up again, this time thrashing and fighting with his captors as they manhandle him and pull at his hair.**

There was a short silence.

"What the hell?" said Sam, eyes wide.

"What was that?" asked Quill horrified.

"Waterboarding, it's supposed to simulate drowning," muttered Natasha.

"How long did that happen for?" asked Steve worried, Rhodey had paled, having a vague idea of something is much different to seeing it.

"Uh, Tony said that it took him two months to escape. The first month was them 'convincing' him to build the missile."

"He held out for a month," said Natasha impressed.

"Nor did he have training." pointed out Sam.

"Holy shit," added Clint. Bucky was freaking out, the torture had brought up memories of his own and now he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Did you not know," Bruce asked Rhodey.

"No. I mean I knew that 'convinced' probably meant tortured but when getting back Tony refused to see any Doctor's, which is understandable…" he didn't continue instead he just stared at the door Tony had exited through. **  
There's a bag over Tony's head now as he's being forcibly guided through the cave and outside. When the bag is removed, he blinks a few times, adjusting his eyes to the bright sun. He's shoved forward, clutching the car battery to his chest as he stumbles behind the men. He scans his surroundings as he approaches the leader, and looks horrified when he realizes all the cases say 'Stark Industries.'**

"How did they get those." squeaked Peter still in the horrified position.

"It will probably be shown," muttered Rhodey. **  
The leader speaks again, and the doctor elaborates, "He wants to know what you think."  
The billionaire looks at his captor and speaks, his voice raspy and raw, "I think you got a lot of my weapons."  
"He says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile," The doctor translates the reply, "He wants you to make the list of materials. He says for you to start working immediately, and when you're done, he will set you free."  
Tony reaches out and shakes his hand, giving a fake smile, "No he won't."  
"No, he won't," The man confirms.  
In the distance, there is a brief shot of a tan, bald man, fiddling with his ring and standing on the edge of a rock, surrounded by men, overseeing the operation.  
The scene changes again, and the two hostages are back in the cave, huddled around a fire. Tony is staring into the flames, wearing a beanie, a pair of gloves, and a coat; the entire outfit is so different than what he normally would wear, making him appear more like a hobo than a billionaire.  
"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark. But they will never find you in these mountains." The other man takes a seat next to Tony before continuing, "Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work in the hands of those murderers! Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?"  
"Why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week." The billionaire's voice is quiet, almost hopeless.**

Everyone (mostly the Rogues) was shocked. He sounded so helpless. Tony Stark was never helpless. Never. **  
"Well then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it?"  
Men are carrying weapons and supplies around the room, and the camera pans over, revealing Tony yelling orders and the man next to him translating, "If this is going to be my workstation, I want it well-lit. I want these up. I need welding gear. I don't care if it's acetylene or propane. I need a soldering station. I need helmets. I'm gonna need goggles. I would like a smelting cup. I need two sets of precision tools."**

"I thought you said he didn't build it," said Steve.

"He didn't, you'll see." **  
The camera reveals a Stark Industries missile, with Tony working on the end, "How many languages do you speak?"  
"A lot. But apparently, not enough for this place." Tony gives a half-hearted smirk and the man continues, "They speak Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Farsi, Russian."**

Clint gave a soft whistle. **  
Tony slides something out of the missile before he responds, "Who are these people?"  
"They are your loyal customers, Sir. They call themselves the Ten Rings."  
There's a brief view of the security camera, then switches to the men holding them captive overseeing the process from TV screens, before returning back to Tony.  
"You know, we might be more productive if you include me in the planning process." The doctor says, sitting next to the busy billionaire.**

"So he never changed the way he worked" smiled Bruce sadly. **  
"Yuh-huh." He starts pounding on the missile with his forearm, demonstrating a considerable amount of strength, causing the end to pop off. He pulls something out, setting it on the table and picking something out of it with a pair of tweezers. "Okay, we don't need this," He grabs the hunk of metal and tosses it over his shoulder.  
"What is that?"  
Tony holds a piece of thin metal up to the light with the tweezers, "That's palladium, 0.15 grams. We need at least 1.6, so why don't you go break down the other 11?"**

"He didn't" gaped Bruce.

"He did" replied Rhodey.

"What's palladium?" asked Wong.

"This will be awesome." smiled Bruce. **  
There's a bowl of red-like-sand, the billionaire grabbing a hand full and putting it into a cup. There's a smelting cup being pulled out of the fire by the other man, Tony behind him holding the car battery over his shoulder.  
"Careful. Careful, we only get one shot at this." He warns.  
"Relax, I have steady hands. Why do you think you're still alive?"  
They walk over to the table, Tony setting the battery down on top of it. They lean over and the doctor starts to pour the liquid from the cup into the mould when Tony speaks up, "What do I call you?"  
"My name is Yinsen."  
"Yinsen. Nice to meet you."  
"Nice to meet you too."**

"That took long enough," said Vision smiling slightly.

"I'd say he might've been a bit distracted." sighed Loki. **  
Tony is pulling a metal ring from the mould, holding it up and gently placing it into another metal disk, before the view changes and the billionaire is soldering pieces of metal and wire. The next thing we see is Tony twisting a dial, and the creation before him begins to glow a familiar blue.**

Shuri gasped.

"He made the miniaturized arc reactor in a cave?"

"Are you impressed by someone's genius sister?" asked T'challa smirking.

"Oh shut up brother. It is very impressive."

"No shit." gaped Scott. **  
Yinsen approaches and leans over the table, gazing in wonder at the contraption glowing on the table. "That doesn't look like a Jericho missile."  
"That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor. I got a big one powering my factory at home." He explains, tapping the table next to the reactor, "It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart."  
"But what could it generate?"  
"If my math is right, and it always is, three gigajoules per second."  
"That could run your heart for 50 life times."  
"Yeah, or something big for 15 minutes."**

Shuri then began to cackle several others who knew or realised were also smiling. Those who didn't were looking at her and the others very confused. **  
The billionaire lays down a pile of papers, turning the light on next to them. Yinsen shuffles through some of them before setting them back down.  
"This is our ticket out of here," Stark says, pointing to the papers.  
"What is it?"  
"Flatten them out and look." He reaches forward and smoothes out the papers, revealing what could only be a suit of armour.**

"Oh, my God." **  
"Oh, wow. Impressive."**

"Damn right it's impressive." smiled Rhodey.

"He made the suit in the cave?" asked Steve shocked.

"Do you think that is more badass than our prison escape?" Quill asked the Guardians, Gamora rolled her eyes.

"I am Groot."

"What? Groot, you can't be serious. Ours was the best. Remember everyone floating around?" he began to laugh. "And how I convinced Quill we needed the robotic leg?" he collapsed into laughter. Quill turned red and looked at him annoyed.

"You swore you needed it," he grumbled.

"What's this you're talking about?" Peter, a bit calmer now, asked Quill.

"Our escape from the alien prison we met at." he wiped away a fake tear.

"Good times."

"I'm going to check on Tony." sighed Rhodey walking to the door.

"Should someone come with you?" asked Steve sounding concerned.

"Probably not the best idea," Rhody replied opening the door and stepping inside. Tony was sitting in a chair, eyes closed and massaging his left arm.

"You okay Tones?" Rhodey looked around the room and noticed the empty bottle and glass on the floor by the bar.

"Yeah." he opened his eyes. "Where you up to?"

"You just started constructing the suit," Rhodey said hesitantly. Tony nodded vacantly.

"That's cool, that's fine…" He closed his eyes again and Rhodey was relieved to see he was calmer.

"Hello Colonel Rhodes." came the familiar voice of FRIDAY, Rhodey jumped.

"FRIDAY? You're back?" That was possibly the best news Rhodey heard all day.

"Yes." replied FRIDAY, "I'm keeping Boss company so you can watch the movie." Rhodey then noticed the small bottle of pills next to Tony which he recognized as his anxiety meds. Rhodey sighed in relief.

"You can continue watching… I'm fine." sighed Tony.

"Do you want me to get you when you've escaped?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sure." Tony said calmly.

Rhodey smiled sadly and bid goodbye to his friend before heading back to the cinema.

"Is Anthony okay?" asked Thor as soon as Rhodey returned. Rhodey nodded.

"He's… fine… in a broad term. FRIDAY's back online and He's coming back after his escape." the others nodded looking nervously at each other and the door, Vision smiled slightly, obviously relieved that FRIDAY was back online. Rhodey resumed his seat and they continued watching.


	15. Sacrifice

**A/N Hello again everyone, sorry for the long wait in between chapters. :) Here's another, enjoy.**

 **Credit for the transcript to Airbrushed**

 **-o-**

 **The snowy mountains are revealed, men huddled around a fire for warmth before switching to the security surveillance, where Tony is shown laying on the cot with Yinsen stood over him. A moment or two pass before the genius stands, the addition in his chest glowing with a bright, gentle, blue light, appearing larger than it actually is on the cheap cameras. He takes a few steps forward and the men share a handshake that could almost pass for a high-five.  
A pair of dice is being rolled on a wooden board game, the two men gambling with silver bolts.  
"Good roll, good roll." Yinsen praises the billionaire, reaching for the dice to shake them in his hand for his own turn.  
"You still haven't told me where you're from," Tony mentions nonchalantly, lifting the lid off of a jar next to him.  
"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place."**

"Gulmira…" whispered Rhodey in shock.

"What is it?" asked Strange intrigued.

"That was where Iron Man made his first public appearance." supplied Vision, Strange nodded in understanding. **  
"Got a family?"  
"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here." Yinsen says, looking up from the board to face the billionaire, "And you, Stark?"  
The two make eye contact for a brief moment before the genius looks down, taking his turn in their game before looking back up. He shrugs and replies with a quirk of his lips, "Nah."  
"No? So you're a man who has everything, and nothing?"**

Steve bit his lip, he hadn't thought of that. About how the Avengers were quite literally all Tony had apart from Pepper in terms of friends.

"What about Rhodes?" asked Scott in confusion.

"And Lady Pepper?" questioned Thor.

"Well." said Rhodey tiredly. "He must've thought I was dead after the attack, and Tony is a tad paranoid considering plenty of people are just his friends for his money and resources." Clint winced slightly at that thinking about how no one ever thanked Stark for the weapons and the compound. **  
The leader from the beginning walks up to the door, opening the hatch quietly and peering inside. Satisfied to see that they are working, he nods in approval and turns away.  
Suddenly, music can be heard over the speakers, and the camera is panning over a table full of supplies, some makeshift pieces of armor and tools forged from pieces of scrap. Some sparks can be seen flying from where Tony is using a blow torch. When he turns it off, he lifts the goggles off his face.**

"I always forget that Tony actually does this kind of stuff considering his labs and stuff are always so modern and, well, shiny." said Natasha a soft fondness in her voice. **  
Their captors are seen huddling over the TV's again, holding up the picture of the Jericho and arguing in a different language as they compare it to the process on the screen.  
"It doesn't look anything like the picture," complained one.  
"Maybe it's been modified," another man suggests.  
"The tail is wrong," The first man argues.  
"It's just backwards." One reasons.**

"How thick can you get?" asked Clint in surprise. **  
The bald man from before is back on the screen, fiddling with his ring yet again while staring at the monitor, his face twisted in a scowl as he observes. Tony can be seen swinging his leg, now encased in metal and wires.  
The hatch is opened again and the men come barging in. Tony shuts off his blow torch and straightens up, both him and Yinsen instinctively raising their arms above their heads.**

"Oh no, what's gonna happen now." wailed Shuri. **  
Raza, the main leader, walks in, glancing at the two men, "Relax."**

Rocket snorted at that.

"Like that's ever gonna happen" **  
They hesitantly put their arms down, and the leader walks up to Tony, pulling the collar of his tattered shirt down to get a glimpse at the arc reactor. "The bow and arrow once was the pinnacle of weapons technology."**

Clint let out a cry of outrage and everyone rolled their eyes. **  
"It allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great, and four times the size of the Roman Empire." He picks up the papers revealing the armor plans, studying them for a moment.  
Tony gives a nervous glance to Yinsen, who makes a subtle gesture with his hand to calm down as Raza continues, "But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons, rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn." He glares at the billionaire for a moment before addressing Yinsen in another language that translates to, "Why have you failed me?"**

"Crap." muttered Clint. **  
"We're working. Diligently." Yinsen responds  
"I let you live, and this is how you repay me?" Raza asks, approaching the Doctor.  
"It's very complex. He's trying very hard."  
The billionaire can be seen watching uneasily; clearly not happy that he can't understand what's going on.**

"Since then, Tony spent a day or two learning several middle eastern languages." murmured Vision absentmindedly. **  
"On his knees!" Raza orders, and a man approaches, grabbing Yinsen by the arm and forcing him to his knees. He walks over to the fire picking up the tongs and grabbing a hot coal, "You think I am a fool?"  
"We're both working."  
"Open your mouth," He says, holding up the burning coal.**

"No!" cried several people in the room, everyone else looked on in dismay. **  
"What does he want?" Tony questions, still standing helplessly on the other side of the room.  
Ignoring him, Raza grabs Yinsen's head, holding the tongs in front of his mouth, "What's going on? Tell me the truth."  
"He's building your Jericho," Yinsen pleads.  
"The truth."  
"He's building your Jericho!"  
"THE TRUTH!" Raza raises his voice.  
Tony steps forward in a moment of bravery, obviously fed up with the situation, "What do you want, a delivery date?" He asks, raising his hands in a placating gesture when every gun in the room is suddenly pointed at him, followed by a series of shouting. Raza looks up at the billionaire, who hesitates for a moment before speaking, "I need him. Good assistant."  
Raza drops the burning coal in front of Yinsen's face, never looking away from Stark, "You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile." He threatens, tossing the tongs carelessly across the room.**

"Oh thank goodness." sighed Strange in relief.

"Will he be able to finish in that time?" asked Wanda, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Of course." snorted Bruce. "When I was down in the labs with Tony he would start and finish several projects before I had finished one." **  
The music starts up again and Tony can be seen hammering a piece of metal, the glow of the arc reactor visible through his tank top. He continues pounding the metal into place, each hit making a loud 'clanging' sound. He's dirty and it's obvious he's sweating from the work and the heat of the fire nearby, but continues nonetheless.**

"Wow, Stark is surprisingly buff." commented Clint. Rhodey looked at him incredulously. **  
On screen, Tony grabs the metal with a pair of tongs, dunking it in a tub of water, where it starts to steam from the cooler temperature. When he pulls it out again, he sets it on the table in front of Yinsen, where it's finally visible as to what it is, a mask.**

"That looks awesome." smirked Rocket, eager to get put in jail again just so he could try something like this. Apparently understanding his train of thought Quill looked at him in hesitation but Groot grinned at him, the same thought definitely running through his mind. **  
The scene changes and Tony is taping up his hands while Yinsen is raising the chest plate in the background. He shrugs on his dirty jacket and a pair of rubber gloves. Yinsen straps a brace of some sort around his neck, and the next thing you know he's pulling the chest plate of the armor over the genius, the hole in the front fitting perfectly over the arc reactor.  
"Okay. Can you move?" Yinsen asks, adjusting pieces of the armor. "Okay, say it again."  
"41 steps straight ahead, then 16 steps, that's from the door, fork right, 33 steps, turn right."**

"He managed to memorize that while bagged?" said Natasha impressed. **  
Raza approaches the security monitors, leaning forward to inspect them, "Where is Stark?" He growls to one of his men.**

"Oh no," muttered Mantis, eyes widening. **  
"He was here a moment ago…"  
"Go look for him!" He barks, leaning closer to inspect the screen, only seeing a wall they had set up and Yinsen working behind it.  
The men ordered to look for Stark open the hatch yelling in, "Yinsen! Yinsen!"  
"Say something," Tony hisses as Yinsen continues preparing the suit.  
"He's speaking Hungarian! I don't-"  
"Then speak Hungarian," Tony says, knowing they're running out of time.**

Steve rolled his eyes at that. Smiling slightly but thoroughly worried. **  
"Okay, I don't-"  
"What do you know?"  
Yinsen shouts a reply to the men outside the door. One of them shouts back getting ready to open it. The camera pans down a bit to reveal an explosive rigged to go off if the door is opened.**

Rocket grinned widely, leaning forward in his seat. **  
Upon seeing the camera go to static, Raza starts to yell to his men, sending more of them running towards the prisoners.  
"How'd that work?" Tony asks Yinsen, who glances over the billionaire's shoulder to view the damage.**

Rocket cackled and several of the other's looked at him in concern. **  
"Oh, my goodness. It worked all right."  
"That's what I do."  
"Let me finish this."  
"Initialize the power sequence," Tony says, and Yinsen turns around dropping his tool.  
"Okay."  
"Now!"  
"Tell me, tell me!" The doctor leans over an older computer, awaiting instructions.  
"Function 11. Tell me when you see a progress bar. It should be up right now."  
"Yes-"  
"Talk to me," Tony cuts him off, "tell me when you see it."  
"I have it."  
"Press Control 'I'"  
"'I.' Got it."  
"'I Enter' 'I' and 'Enter.' Come over here and button me up."  
The men are running down to the room, and Yinsen is frantically trying to finish preparing the suit. "Okay, alright."**

Everyone held their breath in anticipation. **  
"Every other hex bolt," Tony instructs, ignoring the yelling coming closer.  
"They're coming!" Yinsen glances behind the armour.  
"Nothing pretty, just get it done. Just get it done."**

 _Nothing pretty? This is Stark we're talking about right?_ Smirked Clint to himself. **  
"They're coming…" The doctor repeats, his voice full of warning and concern.  
"Make sure the check points are clear before you follow me out, okay?"  
Yinsen is staring nervously at the laptop, the progress bar barely halfway complete.**

 **"We need more time." He states as he turns around, facing the billionaire with a determined look, "Hey, I'm going to go buy you some time."**

"No!" cried Peter in dismay. **  
"Stick to the plan!" Tony shouts as Yinsen starts walking away from him, grabbing a gun from one of the dead men and shooting it inter the air, "Stick to the plan! Yinsen!"**

"Oh dear." sighed Mantis, putting a hand over her mouth. **  
The men are getting closer and closer, and they run behind a corner. There are a yell and a gun going off, and soon they're running back the way they came, Yinsen chasing after them. He follows them to a room full of men and stops when they all aim their weapons at him.**

Everyone stared shocked at the screen, at how brave Yinsen had been. **  
The scene changes back to the room, where the laptop is sitting on the table. The progress bar reaches 100%, and the light flicker a few times before going out. There are men running through the now dark cave, towards the prisoner's quarters. They glance at the dead bodies before hesitantly stepping into the room. A rubber glove can be seen in the dark, squeezing open and shut menacingly. One of the men turns around when a bright blue light shines in his face. He looks up, and the source of the light moves, sending him flying across the room, the other men shooting bullets around the room.**

"Thank god it finished loading." murmured T'challa. **  
The men seem satisfied that they might have hit their target when the light appears again. There's more shooting, but the followers don't stand a chance. When the last one falls, the camera pans out to reveal the armour in its entirety for the first time.**

"Holy shit." whistled Scott. Rocket was a constant stream of maniacal laughter. **  
Tony starts to walk forward in the armor, the men down the hall firing at him, though the bullets only ricochet off the metal. One brave man charges for him, but the billionaire simply swings his arm, sending the man into the cave wall. He continues walking, Raza's followers eventually turning and running away once they realize they don't stand a chance. They close a door, locking one man out by mistake. He pounds on the metal, begging for them to open it and let him through as the armor is getting closer. The men on the other side ready their weapons hearing their friend scream, and then fall silent. There's a loud bang on the door, denting it, and they all take a few steps back. There are three more bangs, and the door flies open, landing on one guy and taking him down as the others run for their lives.**

Quite a few people were shocked about how ruthless Stark was being. **  
The genius continues through the cave, swinging at one guy who comes around a corner but gets his arm stuck in the rock.**

"Oh No," cried Peter paling. **  
One braver man comes up, holding a gun to Stark's head, but the bullet bounces off the metal of the helmet and back at the shooter, killing him. Tony finally gets the arm out of the rock and continues on relentlessly. The scene changes to Raza loading a rocket into a rocket launcher, and aiming it at the entrance way where he knows Tony will appear.  
Yinsen can be seen lying on stacks of rice. He's covered in blood and bullet holes and glances to the side when the armour finally appears at the entrance.**

Everyone turned sombre, having grown to like Yinsen in the time spent watching. **  
"Yinsen!" The billionaire shouts.  
"Watch out!" The doctor manages to choke out despite his pain, just as Raza fires the rocket.  
Tony just barely avoids getting blown up and opens a latch on his arm to fire his own missile, sending crates and bits of rock down on top of Raza. Once he's down, Tony hastily makes his way to Yinsen's side, tossing a sack of rice off his friend.  
"Stark…"  
"Come on, we gotta go." The billionaire says, flipping up the faceplate of the armour. His face is gleaming with sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead, but it's clear to anyone that his eyes are sad and full of worry, "Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it."  
"This was always the plan, Stark," Yinsen replies in a near whisper, struggling to stay awake just a little bit longer as he slowly fades away.**

"I do not understand," said Thor sadly. Loki looked at him, but there was an uncharacteristic softness in his eyes.

"Yinsen wished to die, brother," he said quietly to Thor. **  
"Come on, you're gonna go see your family. Get up." Tony's voice is almost pleading, but the dying man before him shows no intention of moving.  
"My family is dead. I'm going to see them now, Stark."**

"Oh," whispered Thor. Valkyrie had paled slightly thinking about the Massacre of the Valkyries to Hela. **  
Tony swallows hard as he listens to his friend.  
"It's okay. I want this. I want this."  
The armoured man sighs, trying his best at a small smile, "Thank you for saving me."**

"That was quite remarkable, the way that he saved Tony," muttered Strange offhandedly. **  
"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life." Yinsen lets out a strangled last breath before his eyes close one last time.**

 **That was so sad ); I'll be going away for a while but get back on the 22nd so expect the next chapter sometime after that.**

 **Please favourite and review if you liked it!**


	16. Rescue

**A/N: I managed to bring my computer on this trip so expect more chapters this week! :)**

 **Transcript by Airbrushed on FFN**

 **Tony's face changes from that of devastated to murderous like the flip of a switch. The suit jerks violently as his glare leaves the body of his friend, and instead focuses on the outside of the cave.**

"They are so gonna get it," said Clint a slightly eager expression on his face. **  
The view changes, showing the entrance to the cave from the outside where men are standing ready with guns. Loud, resonating footsteps can be heard echoing off the cave walls. The men surrounding the entrance seem to grow increasingly nervous and rattled with each step.**

Vision smiled slightly, glad that Tony had managed to get any form of revenge for his cruel conditions. **  
A faint circle of light can be seen emerging from the darkness of the cave before a full suit of armour is revealed, dangerous and unnerving. The men stagger backwards a few steps but don't back down. Instead, there's a shout of command, and every man begins firing at the metal suit at once. The armour is a bit unsteady with the force of the bullets, but the man inside refuses to break or fall over.  
The men stop firing their weapons when they see how ineffective they actually are. The mechanic's eyes can be seen through the slits of the mask, showing nothing but determination and resentment.**

"Holy shit," said Quill in awe.

"That is terrifying," agreed Peter.

A collective shiver ran through the room at the sight of the mask and the anger of the man behind it. **  
When the genius finally speaks up, his voice is low and threatening, "My turn."  
Tony lifts his arms and flames begin to shoot out from his makeshift flamethrowers. The fire spread rapidly, the men firing a shot or two before taking much-needed steps backwards. They're screaming as the blaze engulfs them and their camp, Stark turning the flames to their stockpile of his weapons. He burns them all, setting fire to every crate stamped with his name, every gun, man, and missile.**

Rocket cheered and got a couple more nervous glances.

"That was badass," commented Scott. Rhodey smiled slightly at the change in attitude going throughout the room. Even if it was slow. Steve glanced at Bucky who was looking down. The look on Tony's face on-screen had reminded him eerily of the anger from the man in Siberia. **  
A man on higher ground crouches in front of a stronger, more powerful gun, firing quick, consistent shots at the suit of armour. The flames stop shooting from Tony's arms now as the bullets ricochet of the metal. Other men join in again, shooting at the suit in rapid succession. One lucky bullet lands in the join of one of the knees, and the armour goes down, bullets still flying and the flames still spreading around him.**

"No!" squeaked Peter, Rhodey squeezed his shoulder in comfort but was pale at this turn in events. **  
Tony's not done yet, even when he's down on his knees surrounded by flame. He shoots another stream of fire, causing the crate near one shooter to explode, but bullets are still bouncing off the metal. The view widens and the explosives start to go off, the men just outside the blaze retreating. Inside the mess of explosions and fire, Tony finally gets to his feet, flipping a red switch on the inside of his left arm. There's another blast before the view widens, showing the chain reaction of every explosion.**

A wide grin began to spread across Shuri's face in realization at what the switch would be doing. Stark really was quite remarkable.

 **Something bursts through the rising smoke and flame, veering away from the camp. The boosters in the armour abruptly stop, the camera showing Tony shouting as he's falling out of the sky, bits of the suit falling off.**

People had let out gasps, cheers, and cackles at the sight of the suit being able to fly. But collectively held their breath in fear as the suit began to fall.

 **He crashes lands in the sand, the armour effectively falling apart and scattering. There's a pained grunt, the view panning forward towards a half armoured Tony Stark. He shakes off the mess of wires and metal that remains of the arms, before flipping off the face mask and throwing it aside. He's bloody and dirty and no doubt in pain, fresh blood staining his lips, "Not bad."**

"Really? That was amazing!" said Bruce admiringly.

"That may just beat our prison break," commented Drax, Rocket looked at him in indignation.

"Are you kidding? Did you see the guards faces as they started to float?" he began to cackle. "And Quill when he paid a shit ton of credits for the leg!" Rocket was full out laughing now and Quill had gone red and was glaring at him. Gamora had a smile on her lips. **  
The scene changes and he's walking through the desert, jacket draped over his head to block the unforgiving heat of the sun. His arms are bloody and his pants torn, though the arc reactor still glows through his dark green wife beater. As the billionaire is walking up a sand dune, the faint sound of an engine can be heard before a helicopter rises over the horizon, followed by a second. Tony looks up before he starts shouting and flaring his good arm, "HEY!"**

"Finally!" cheered Peter. Rhodey smiled slightly remembering that meeting. **  
He keeps shouting until the helicopter lands, laughing like a maniac as he falls to his knees, the fingers of his raised arm forming a peace sign before letting it fall to his side. Men rush out of the chopper, a familiar face running in front of the group of men.**

"I was out every day for all 3 months," muttered Rhodey distractedly. He got a couple of sympathetic glances at the fact that he must have had a lot of fear for his friend. **  
Rhodey's face reveals his ease mixed with concern for his long-lost friend, "How was the fun-vee?"**

"Really?" asked Natasha raising an eyebrow slightly but smiling all the same.

"Hey," said Rhodey in defence. "I was freaking out in relief and that's exactly what Tony would've wanted to hear. He's not one for sympathy." Natasha smirked.

"I've noticed." **  
Tony lets out a forced laugh, relief flooding his features as Rhodey kneels down in front of him and rests a hand on his shoulder.  
"Next time you ride with me, okay?" His voice is shaky and almost cracks, but when he gathers Tony in a firm hug, Tony leans into him, allowing his friend to support him.  
A US Air Force plane is landing before the shot changes to Pepper Potts waiting outside with Happy behind her. Her makeup is running and her eyes are red as the ramp in the back of the plane opens. Rhodey is standing next to Tony, who gets up from his wheelchair, allowing his friend to support him as they walk down the ramp.  
Rhodey is crying at finally bringing his best friend home, where he belongs, but it's clear he's doing his best to hide it. Pepper smiles when she sees her boss. His arm is in a sling and his face is cut up in a few places, but he's cleaned up and freshly shaven.  
"Watch it, coming up here," Rhodes instructs the billionaire, gesturing to the ramp.  
Men stroll up with a gurney, but Tony dismissively wave his good arm, "Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them." He lets go of Rhodey's hand, but the man stays close by as he approaches Pepper.**

"Is he incapable of accepting help?" asked Wanda, but there was a gentleness to her voice that made no one call her out for any rudeness.

"He's not very fond of it, no," answered Vision and Wanda's eye's sparked in joy at the simple words from the android directed at her. **  
"Your eyes are red," He notes, holding his chin high, "A few tears for your long-lost boss?"  
"Tears of joy; I hate job hunting."  
"Yeah, vacation's over."  
They're seated in the car now, Happy in the driver seat and Tony and Pepper in back.  
"Where to, Sir?"  
"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy." Pepper answers, but Tony immediately refuses.  
"No."  
"No?"  
"No is a complete answer."  
"Tony you have to go to the hospital. The doctor has to look at you."  
"I don't have to do anything," He glances over at her and she stops talking,**

 **"I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger and the other…"  
"That's enough of that," Pepper cuts him off.**

Clint snickered in spite of himself and Natasha rolled her eyes. **  
"… Is not what you think," He continues, "I want you to call for a press conference now."  
"Call for a press conference?" She asks, completely exasperated already.  
"Yeah."  
"What on earth for?"  
"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first." He instructs Happy**

"Wouldn't he be able to keep down that much food after being in captivity?" asked Strange in concern. Vision sighed slightly.

"From my records as JARVIS, no he wasn't." no one questioned the android further. **  
Happy pulls the car up outside where the press conference is being held. Everyone claps and Obadiah is revealed, running up to the car and opening the door.  
"Look at this! Tony." He hugs the billionaire once he steps out of the car. When he pulls away he places both hands on Tony's shoulders, "We were going to meet at the hospital."  
"No, I'm fine." He insists as Happy comes around the back of the vehicle, holding out a Burger King bag. Tony reaches inside and pulls out a burger.  
"Look at you," Obie continues, "You had to have a burger, yeah?"**

"That's Tony, near death=food." Bruce sighed.

"The Shawarma was interesting," added Thor. **  
"Well, come on." They start walking towards the door together, Obadiah's hand on his shoulder.  
"You get me one of those?" The older man asks, gesturing to the sandwich.  
"Uh, there's only one left. I need it."  
They're walking down a hall just as Tony finishes his burger. Cameras are flashing and people are shouting inquires. While Tony makes his way to the podium the view shows Pepper as a familiar man approaches her.**

"And the start of SHIELD interacting with Tony." sighed Natasha but she had smiled at the appearance of their old friend. Clint had twitched slightly at the appearance. **  
"Miss Potts?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I speak to you for a moment?"  
"I'm not part of the press conference," She explains, gesturing to the crowd of reporters, "but it's about to begin right now."  
"I'm not a reporter. I'm agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Linguistics Division." He clarifies as he hands her a card.  
"That's quite a mouthful," She says, reaching for the card.  
"I know. We're working on it."**

"I'm pretty sure they just wanted the SHIELD acronym." sighed Clint. **  
"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA…"  
"We're a separate division with a more specific focus," He cuts her off. "We need to debrief Mr Stark about the circumstances of his escape."  
"I'll put something in the book, shall I?"  
"Thank you." He nods, giving her a genuine tight-lipped smile before walking away. She turns her attention to the press conference.  
Obadiah is standing at the podium trying to settle down the crowd. He glances down, the camera following his gaze to reveal Tony sitting on the ground, leaning against the stand and pulling a hidden burger out of his pocket.  
"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can… a little less formal, and…" He pauses to take a bite of his cheeseburger.**

"And so begins the second biggest press conference in SI history." sighed Rhodey. **  
"What's with the love-in?" Rhodey asks as he sits beside Pepper.  
"Don't look at me. I don't know what he's up to."  
"Good to see you," Tony glances away from his food and at Obie, who is seated beside him.  
"Good to see you." The older says, putting his hand on the billionaire's shoulder.  
"I never got to say goodbye to dad."**

Bucky visibly flinched at that and Steve stared at the floor trying to avoid Natasha's eyes. **  
"I never got to say goodbye to my father," He repeats, a bit louder this time as he addresses the reporters. "There's questions I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels."**

"Did Tony not have a close relationship with Howard?" asked Steve confused. Rhodey let out a bark of laughter that was a mix of bitterness and anger.

"You could say that." **  
His face is suddenly very serious, and he appears as if he staring off into nothing, lost in his own memories, "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."**

Wanda bit her lip at the reminder that what she had thought was completely and utterly wrong. **  
A reporter hesitantly raises his hand, " Mr Stark!"  
"Hey, Ben."  
"What happened over there?"  
Tony stands now, going to walk around the podium, "I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world, than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International," **

There were a couple of smiles around the room at the announcement.

 **All of the reporters stand up at once, each one shouting questions and demanding answers. Obadiah stands with them, approaching Tony on the podium and laying a hand on his shoulder, trying to move him away but the billionaire continues, "until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."  
Obie steps in front of the microphone, having finally succeeded in shooing the genius away, "What we should take away from this, is that Tony's back! And he's healthier than ever. We're going to have a little internal discussion, and we'll get back to you with a follow-up."**

"Yeah, he's definitely 'healthier than ever.'" snarled Rhodey and several people gave him alarmed glances at the ferocity. He then sighed. "Before we continue I'll just check on Tony and see if he's ready to come back." Rhodey stood up and headed to the room Tony had been in. Entering he saw that Tony had fallen asleep in the chair. Rhodey smiled at his friend's oddly peaceful sleep and quietly exited the room. As he returned he got several questioning looks.

"Tony's fallen asleep, I think I'll just leave him there. Lord knows he needs it." Rhodey's eyes flicked towards Natasha and her knowing look. Then he returned to his seat. **  
The scene changes and Obadiah is approaching on a Segway, cigar in his mouth when he approaches Happy, "Where is he?"  
"He's inside." He replies, taking the abandoned segway.  
When Obie enters the building, Tony is standing behind a railing, gazing up a giant machine flashing blue; it's humming filling the otherwise silent room.**

"That's the Arc Reactor?" asked Wong in shock. Rhodey nodded.

"Reducing the size of something that large is quite impressive. Let alone it be in a cave," commented T'challa. **  
"Well, that… that went well," Obadiah says, the cigar between his teeth and hands on his hips.  
"Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?" Tony asks, adjusting his shirt collar as the older man approaches.**

"That's the definition of your entire life Tones." sighed Rhodey. **  
"Your head? What about my head? What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?"  
"Optimistically, 40 points."  
"At minimum."  
"Yep."  
"Tony, we're a weapons manufacturer."  
"Obie, I just don't want a body count to be our only legacy."  
"That's what we do. We're IronMongers. We make weapons." The older man explains, but Tony isn't buying into it.  
"It's my name on the side of the building."  
"And what we do keeps the world from falling into chaos," Obadiah says, ignoring Tony's reasoning.  
"Not based on what I saw. We're not doing a good enough job. We can do better; we're going to do something else."  
"Like what? You want us to make baby bottles?"  
There's a pause before Tony speaks up again, "I think we should take another look into arc reactor technology."  
"Come on. The arc reactor?" Obie says, fed up as he gestures towards the giant machine, "That's a publicity stunt! Tony, come on, we built that thing to shut the hippies up!"  
"It works."  
"Yeah, as a science project," Obadiah walks to the other side of Tony now, "The arc reactor was never cost effective. We knew that before we built it. Arc reactor technology, that's a dead end, right?"**

"Nope!" said Peter cheerfully. **  
"Maybe," Tony replies, his back to his business partner.  
"Am I right? We haven't had a breakthrough in that in, what? Thirty years?"  
Tony turns to face him now, his features giving nothing away, unlike the older man, **

**"That's what they say." He eyes him, squinting as if it would help him get a better read on what Obadiah is thinking, "Could you have a lousier poker face? Just tell me, who told you?"**

"It is very obvious," commented Sam. **  
"Never mind who told me," He says, pointing his cigar at the billionaire's chest, "Show me."  
"It's Rhodey or Pepper."  
"I want to see it."  
"Okay, Rhodey," Tony says, removing his sling and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt, revealing the gentle blue glow of the arc reactor.**

"Why would it be me or Pepper," asked Rhodey aghast.

"You didn't?" asked Scott surprised. Rhodey shook his head.

"And Ms Potts didn't." continued Loki obviously connecting dots in his head. Loki's eyes widened in surprise and Thor looked at him questioningly along with Valkyrie but he didn't say anything. **  
Obadiah takes a quick look and grins, before reaching forward and fastening the buttons of Tony's shirt again, "Okay."  
"Okay? It works."  
The older man loops his arm around Tony's shoulder, leaning in to speak to him, **

**"Listen to me, Tony. We're a team, do you understand?"  
"There's nothing we can't do if we stick together, like your father and I."  
Tony looks away from him at the mention of his father, "I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads-up, okay? But if I had…"  
"Tony." He interrupts, effectively shutting up the billionaire, "Tony, no more of this 'Ready, fire, aim' business. You understand me?"  
"That was Dad's line."  
Obie gives him a look before taking his hand off of the brunette's shoulder, "You gotta let me handle this. We're going to have to play a whole different kind of ball now." He explains as Tony gathers his abandoned sling and jacket and starts walking for the door, Obadiah following, "We're going to have to take a lot of heat. I want you to promise me that you're gonna lay low."**

"Lay low?" asked Bruce amused. "That's never going to work."

 **Thanks for all the reviews/favourites!**

 **Tell me what you thought of this chapter.**

 **Until Next Time**

 **-LP :)**


	17. A Game Called Operation

**Hi Guys! I'm back with another chapter. Sadly though my update schedule is going back to a chapter a week since I have been letting my other fics slide with the constant updating of this fic. :( Also someone mentioned I might favour Tony too much. I thought about it and that is definitely true and I may make Tony a bit too awesome at times and the Rogues don't really seem to get him at all so this fic will include a whole lot of revelations on the Rogues part since that was part of the reason I started this fic. Sorry to that person I'll try and tone it down a bit but no promises :)**

"Colonel Rhodes?" asked Peter tentatively. Rhodey smiled slightly at him.

"Yeah?"

"So, um, KAREN came back online at some point in the… earlier scenes and she has been getting updates from FRIDAY and Mr Stark is awake."

"Who's Karen?" asked Scott quietly, Sam shrugged.

"That's great, I guess," said Rhodey. "I'll go get him then." Rhodey stood up and once again left the room.

Tony was still in the chair with his chin resting in his hands and his eyes closed.

"Tones?" At the sound of Rhodey's voice, his eyes snapped open and he attempted a smile.

"Hey Platypus, how's it going in there?" Rhodey rolled his eyes at the nickname and sat in a chair near to Tony.

"Well you just stopped weapon manufacturing at SI, so I would say it's going pretty well," Rhodey replied knowing Tony probably meant people's reactions.

"That's good, good." murmured Tony distractedly.

"You gonna come back Tones?" Tony nodded slightly, leaning back in the chair and tapping his fingers against the new arc reactor nervously.

"Yeah, I will. Just hang on…" He sighed and several moments later his stood up, mask firmly back in place. "Waiting on you Honeybear," he smirked and Rhodey sighed standing up and following.

As Tony returned to the cinema room everyone, more specifically the Rogues, Wakandans, and Guardians, stopped talking and kept on glancing at Tony with various emotions on their faces, worry, sympathy, admiration, or confusion. Tony ignored them all and resumed his seat next to Rhodey and Peter. Peter smiled at Tony but his eyes screamed sympathy which half annoyed Tony _don't need their sympathy_ , and half made him feel joy at the love given to him by this kid. Rhodey cleared his throat in the silence.

"Continuing?" **  
A TV can be seen, the words 'Mad Money' on the bottom, along with 'Stark Industries (SIA)'. The man on the show speaks up, "Stark Industries! I've got one recommendation! Ready? Ready?" He reaches for a button beside him, the words,**

 **"Sell, sell, sell!" coming over the speakers.**

Tony groaned, and most who knew the show glared at the screen. Not very popular. **  
"Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells?" He continues.**

"Are they kidding?" asked Steve shocked. "That is incredibly disrespectful."

"It's not a very popular show," said Strange coolly. **  
The screen shows an annoyed, exasperated Pepper Potts before switching back to the TV.  
"Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!" The man grabs a bat, swinging it at a mug on the table in front of him. It cracks instantly, sending a loud crashing sound through the speakers.  
Pepper winces but keeps watching, pursing her lips as she eyes the TV.  
"Look; that's a weapons company, that doesn't make weapons!"**

Wanda pursed her lips at that staring at her hands. **  
"Pepper, how big are your hands?" Tony's voice is suddenly heard, and the Strawberry blonde leans over a touchpad on the table, muting the television.  
"What?"  
"How big are your hands?" He repeats.**

"Um. What?" asked Bruce.

"Did you really?" Rhodey asked Tony slightly amused. Tony shrugged.

"I couldn't exactly do it myself." **  
"I don't understand why…" Her voice is edged with confusion, but Tony cuts her off.  
"Get down here. I need you." There's a sense of urgency to his tone, so inevitably she concedes.  
The scene changes and Pepper can be seen approaching the glass doors of the workshop. A touchpad appears on the glass and she enters her access code, hesitantly stepping inside.  
"Hey." Tony is sitting on a chair, not unlike those at a dentist's office, electrodes stuck to his chest and an arc reactor in his grasp. "Let's see them. Show me your hands. Let's see them." He wiggles his fingers and she holds up her hands for him to see, "Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed."  
He turns to look at the arc reactor in his hands when he speaks again, "I just need your help for a sec."**

"Oh no." sighed Natasha, Tony looked affronted.

"It wasn't that bad and it's not like I had anyone close enough apart from her to do that." Natasha rolled her eyes and several people were thinking about how Tony implied he lacked friends. **  
"Oh, my God, is that the thing that's keeping you alive?" She asks as she makes her way over to his side, her eyes fixed on the makeshift technology in his chest.  
"It was. It is now an antique." He holds up the new reactor, this one much improved in its quality, "This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future. I'm swapping it out for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump."  
"Speedbump, what does that mean?" She sounds concerned, her eyes widening just the slightest bit.  
"Nothing," He waves a hand as if it were really no big deal, "It's just a little snag."  
He reaches his free hand for the reactor currently in his chest, "There's an exposed wire under this device," He continues as he twists his hand over it, "And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short. It's fine." He says in response to her gasp as he yanks it out, handing it to a concerned and very much nervous Pepper Potts.  
"What do you want me to do?" She questions, obviously unsure about the situation.  
"Put that on the table over there. That is irrelevant," He states with the flick of his wrist.**

"That attitude will definitely help you with lessening her concern," commented T'challa. **  
"Oh, my god," She sighs as she sets the old reactor aside.  
"I just want you to reach in, and you're just going to gently lift the wire out." He explains as Pepper turns back to him, her eyes blowing wide as he explains her job.  
She peers sceptically into the hole before looking at Tony, who is noticeably just as uncomfortable with the situation as she is, "Is it safe?"**

"I'm Tony Stark. Nothing is ever safe," said Tony grinning slightly but the smile didn't reach his depressed eyes. **  
"Yeah, it should be fine." He gestures to the metal casing, "It's like Operation. You just don't let it touch the socket wall, or it goes 'beep.'"  
"What do you mean Operation?"  
"It's just a game never mind."  
"Just gently lift the wire, okay? Great." He states as Pepper starts reaching her hand forward.  
"Okay…" Her hand goes in slightly, but is quickly drawn out followed by the shake of her head, "You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this."**

"Well considering it's new technology no one would be qualified to do that?" Peter said sounding unsure about the comment Tony smiled kindly at him.

"No joke spiderling." **  
"No, you're fine." He reassures her, "You are the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great." When she still casts him an uneasy glance, he adds, "Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm…"  
"Okay, okay."  
"I really need your help here."  
"Okay," She exhales and reaches her hand forward again. Instead of pulling out, it goes further in, almost up to her wrist. He leans his head back and avoids eye contact with her, shifting slightly in the chair. She shrieks when there's a squelching noise, making a face of disgust, "Oh, there's pus!"**

"Pus?" said Shuri shocked, "Is she serious right now?"

"Don't panic it wasn't pus." sighed Tony rubbing his left arm. **  
"It's not pus," Onscreen Tony explains in hopes of easing the blonde's disgust, "It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body."**

"How comforting." sighed Bruce. **  
"It smells!" Pepper shrieks again, turning her head and making a face.  
"Yeah, it does. The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?"  
"Okay, I got it! I got it!"  
"Okay, you got it? Now don't let it touch the sides- AH, OW!" There's a buzzing sound when he shouts from the pain, "When you're coming out!"**

Most winced at the cry of pain given by the onscreen billionaire but Tony barely reacted. **  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cries out, doing her best not panic upon seeing Tony's face twisted in discomfort.  
"That's what I was trying to tell you before." He says as the monitors start beeping for a brief moment, before slowly calming down, "Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, you don't-" Pepper pulls before he can finish, and a circular object attached to the copper wire comes out with it, dripping with the plasmic discharge, "There's a magnet a-at the end of it! That was it. You just pulled it out." The heart monitor starts beeping like crazy, and the blonde is having a very difficult time keeping it together.**

 **"Oh, god!" Pepper holds it over the chest cavity, having no idea what to do with it.  
"Okay, I was not expecting… Don't put it back in! Don't put it back in!"**

"Oh my god, Tony." sighed Bruce but concern was on his face. **  
Pepper turns and sets the magnet aside, "Okay, what do I do? What's wrong?!"  
He takes a deep breath, "Nothing. I'm just going into cardiac arrest 'cause you yanked it out like a trout…"**

"Cardiac arrest?" gasped Peter.

"It's fine Pete," said Tony.

"Yes you seem to have everything under control," exclaimed Strange sarcastically.

"Everything does seem pretty calm," smirked Rocket, Gamora looked at him unamused. **  
"What?! I thought you said this was safe!" She's nearly shouting at this point, but Tony is doing his best to keep his cool and simply continues giving her directions.  
"We gotta hurry, take this. Take this." He hands her the new arc reactor, the heart monitors beeping faster and faster, "You gotta switch it out really quick."  
"Okay, okay." She takes it and lays a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she tries to collect herself, "Tony? It's going to be okay."  
"What?" He says between strangled breaths.  
"It's gonna be okay."  
"Is it?"  
"I'm gonna make this okay."  
"Let's hope."**

"Sure take your time why don't you," muttered Clint so Tony couldn't hear. **  
She grabs the end of the wire, reaching inside his chest again as he instructs her, his breathing becoming noticeably more laboured and uneven.  
"Okay, you're going to attach that to the base plate. Make s-sure you- YEOW!" He shouts when she finally gets the wires attached, reaching for the reactor she's trying to secure in his chest. "Was that so hard? That was fun, right? Here, I got it. I got it. Here." He twists the reactor in place, "Nice."**

"Are you kidding?" said Shuri, amusement on her face. Tony smirked at her. **  
She looks at her hands, now dripping with the discharge, then back at him, "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I feel great. You okay?" He grins at her, letting out an honest laugh at her expression.  
She sighs heavily but can't help but grin back as the adrenaline settles, "Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that, ever again."  
His smile dies a bit as he considers her request, "I don't have anyone but you," He notes with a shrug and a quirk of his lips. She stares at him for a moment, meeting his eyes in a brief moment of silence before he looks away. "Anyway…" He pulls the electrodes off his chest, standing and grabbing the cover of the reactor off the table beside him, fastening it in place.  
"What do you want me to do with this?" Pepper holds up the old arc reactor.  
"Destroy it. Incinerate it." He says, turning to the blonde and tapping his fingers against the upgraded unit in his chest.  
"You don't want to keep it?" She turns it around in her hands, studying it for a moment before looking back up at him.**

"But you did keep it didn't you?" Rhodey asked Tony quietly.

"You'll see." **  
"Pepper, I've been called many things. Nostalgic is not one of them."  
She seems to consider this for a moment before she responds, "Will that be all, Mr Stark?"  
"That will be all, Miss. Potts." He turns away, pointing towards one of his bots as Pepper makes to leave the lab, "Hey, butterfingers, come here. What's all this stuff doing on top of my desk? That's my phone, that's a picture of me and my Dad." The bot turns towards the desk to get to work as he continues, "Right there. In the garbage, all that stuff."**

At the mention of throwing the picture away, several curious looks were sent Tony's way.

"I told you. I'm not exactly nostalgic." Tony muttered tapping his fingers on the new arc. **  
He turns to look at Pepper as she's leaving, reaching his hand to his chest and drumming his fingers over the arc reactor, making a gentle tapping sound.**

"That was tense," said Loki coolly, Tony grinned at him.

"Is the god of mischief actually showing concern?" he mocked, Loki glared at him.

"I am merely pointing out the obvious," Loki replied.

"It is one of his favourite pastimes," added Thor, Loki rolled his eyes at him.

"So next you'll build that suit of yours?" asked Rocket eyes flashing interest.

"Yep. Mark II."

"What Model is it now?" asked Quill intrigued.

"50," answered Tony. "So in other words, noticeably less awesome than my current suit." Most everyone rolled their eyes at that.

 **So I saw Antman and the Wasp yesterday. AWESOME. Do you guys think I should add Wasp to the audience? Either from a different universe where AMatW took place so she isn't pissed at Scott or from this universe and she still is. What do you guys think?**

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	18. The Beginning of the Mark II

**Transcript by Airbrushed on FFN**

 **-o-**

 **The scene changes again, this time the setting being the US airbase. A familiar voice is heard just a plane is being rolled up before it switches to reveal a group of people indoors. They're dressed in simple green Air Force uniforms and seem to be on something not unlike a tour.**

Rhodey groaned. Tony looked at the man quizzically.

"What?"

"It's just, I was such an asshole to you in this… well… scene." Rhodey sighed. "I am so sorry about that by the way." Tony nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry Platypus, since then you've only been an asshole to me maybe once or twice." he grinned. "All is forgiven." **  
"The future of air combat; is it manned or unmanned?" Rhodey is revealed, leading the group of young men through the building, past the rows of jets as he speaks, "I'll tell you, in my experience, no unmanned aerial vehicle will ever trump a pilot's instinct, his insight, that ability to look into a situation beyond the obvious and discern its outcome, or a pilot's judgement."  
"Colonel?" A voice cuts him off before he can continue any further, and the camera pans to the side to reveal Tony Stark, dressed in a grey shirt accompanied by a leather jacket that manages to hide the glow of the upgraded arc reactor in his chest, "Why not a pilot without the plane?"**

"You're hiding it?" asked Scott in confusion.

"People often like to hide their weakness," Strange said before Tony could reply. Tony looked at the sorcerer whose eyes were still on the screen. But Tony saw his hands were gloved, as per usual, and knitted together. Tony nodded in realization and understanding. **  
"Look who fell out of the sky. Mr Tony Stark," Rhodey supplies to the group as his friend walks up, shaking the hand of the nearest man.**

"Quite literally, and quite often" commented Peter. Tony smirked.

"You're one to talk. Remember a certain lake?" Peter blushed.

"That wasn't my fault." **  
"Speaking of manned or unmanned, you gotta get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at spring break. Just remember that; spring break, 1987." He turns to Rhodey now, "That lovely lady you woke up with-"  
"Don't do that!" He interjects his tone not far off from that of a warning.  
"What was his name?"  
The group laughs at that as Rhodey continues to protest.**

Tony snorted at the memory and Rhodey glared at him.

"They talked about it for ages, so thanks for that." Tony made a mock apologetic face. **  
"Don't do that."  
"Was it Ivan?" Tony questions with a sly grin.  
"Don't do that. They'll believe it. Don't do that." He repeats, giving his friend an exasperated smile with a shake of his head.  
"That totally happened, by the way," Tony commented as if it were just common knowledge.**

"Did it?" asked Loki in mild curiosity. Before Rhodey could disagree Tony practically shouted.

"Very much so, you should've seen his face when he found out." Loki grinned devilishly. **  
"Okay," The billionaire concedes as he turns to face the group, "Pleasure meeting you."  
"Give us a couple minutes, you guys," The Colonel states, the group starting to turn away as he moves to face Tony. "I'm surprised."  
"Why?"  
"I swear I didn't expect to see you walking around so soon."**

"Probably not that wise no," said Wong.

"How many times do you think I've said the very same to you?" asked Bruce.

"Too many." sighed Tony. **  
"I'm doing a little better than walking," Tony states with a smug grin.  
Rhodey crosses his arms and gives his friend a questionable (if not slightly wary) look, "Really?"  
"Yeah. Rhodey, I'm working on something big," He elaborates, raising an eyebrow, "I came to talk to you. I want you to be a part of it."  
Rhodey allows a small smile to creep past his lips, "You're about to make a whole lot of people around here real happy, cause that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy," He states with a hint of a laugh and the shake of his head.**

"You're not going to like this are you?" asked Rocket looking at the man who groaned again. **  
Tony noticeably hesitates for a minute, trying to find the right words,**

 **"This… is not for the military. I'm not…" He shakes his head, earning him a curious glare from Rhodes, "It's different."  
The Colonel furrows his brows, **

**"What? You're a humanitarian now or something?"**

Clint snorted at the image of that then cowered under the look given to him by Natasha. **  
"I need you to listen to me-"  
"No," Rhodey cuts him off, "What you need, is time, to get your mind right."  
Tony offers a tight-lipped smile, but the hurt is obvious in his features as his friend continues.  
"I'm serious."  
"Okay," It's barely a whisper, accompanied by a short nod from the billionaire before his face falls altogether.  
"It's nice seeing you, Tony," Rhodey says, clearly done having this discussion as he begins walking away.**

"Ouch," Quill said sympathetically.

"Again, I am so sorry Tones," Rhodey repeated.

"It's fine, really." Tony sighed. **  
"Thanks," The billionaire states, so quietly almost anyone would have missed it. His gaze is far off is friend leaves him.  
The next shot was of the exterior of the Malibu home, but it quickly shifted to show Tony's desk. A hand swipes over a surface to reveal a touch-sensitive keyboard, though the keys were filled with symbols rather than letters and numbers.**

"You had memorised it then?" Shuri questioned with interest. Tony nodded.

"Forever and always," Tony replied smirking in satisfaction. **  
"Jarvis, you up?" The owner of the hands (and very expensive looking gold watch) asks, typing an intricate pattern on the keyboard.  
The view switches to reveal Tony sitting at his desk, clad in an MIT sweatshirt.  
"For you, Sir, always," came the smooth British accent of Jarvis, the fondness in his tone near impossible to miss, even if he is an artificial intelligence.**

"It is quite an impressive AI for 2008" T'challa complimented.

"He brother." Shuri corrected, "He is quite an impressive AI for 2008."

"Thanks for the correction princess." Tony smiled glad that she recognized JARVIS as what he had been. **  
The view switches again, showing Tony from behind, giving the viewer a look at what's on the screens in front of him. On the left is what appears to be a model of the Mark I, with a few of its parts on the left and right of it. On the right screen, there are what appear to be lines of code.**

"Finally the fun stuff." Rocket said eagerly.

"Should we be concerned?" Gamora asked.

"What, no! Of course not." Rocket insisted.

"I am Groot."

"Cmon Groot, that was once!" Rocket paused and thought. "Maybe more." **  
"I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark Two." He states as he grabs an object, not unlike a pen from a mug on his desk. He points it at the screen and begins to drag to Mark I designs to the side, where they move off the screen and appear as a hologram on the table beside him.  
"Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?" Jarvis asks, just as the hologram takes its full form on the table.  
"Nope. Not a chance." Tony remarks with an exasperated sigh.  
"Actually, I don't know who to trust right now," The genius replies, standing from his desk chair and stuffing the 'pen' into his pocket as he makes his way around the table, "Till further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server?"  
"Working on a secret project, are we, Sir?" Jarvis' tone holds a bit of amusement as Tony begins studying the hologram.  
Tony doesn't answer right away and instead reaches forward for the head of the suit, flipping it back and raising the arms. He begins to drag a portion of the design into a holographic trash can when he finally answers his AI, "I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands." He turns the suit around and grabs another piece, also tossing it in the trash, "Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good." He gives the design one final spin before the scene changes.**

"A lot of good actually." Peter corrected.

"Don't exaggerate now Peter," Tony said.

"I am not. You have done loads of good Mr S- Tony."

"Then imagine how much you're gonna do since you're gonna be better." Tony grinned at his protegee, Peter smiled back at him. **  
Men are shown walking through the desert, sand blowing and wind rustling. One man is shown digging, a cloth pulled over his mouth and goggles over his eyes. More men are shown carrying bits of machinery through the sand while others continue digging around.**

Tony grimaced. **  
One is on his knees, swiping away sand to reveal a metal object. He grabs for it and holds it up as he stands, the sand flowing out of the holes in the object to reveal the Mark I face mask. The man calls out, and the leader, Raza, turns around, the right side of his head exhibiting a nasty burn. His face is stern, and it's obvious even through his protective glasses. He calls back and the man holding the face mask makes his way over, handing his findings to Raza, who studies it with a deadly glare.**

"Well, crap." Scott sighed looking worried. **  
The scene changes again and it's back in Tony's workshop. He's seated at a workbench, surrounded by a variety of tools and wires that are scattered across the surface. Dummy is beside him as he works on a piece of machinery resembling a boot. It's stripped down, revealing the complex design inside.**

"Testing time." Tony grinned.

"Ah, the most amusing part of inventing." Shuri smiled. **  
Dummy is holding a magnifying glass as the genius works with a soldering iron.  
"Next," He finishes the section he's working on and orders Dummy, "Up. Not in the boot, Dummy. Right here, you got me?" He points and the bot's arm adjusts to meet his command.  
"Stay put. Nice," he sits back for a moment and the bot moves again as Tony gets back to work, "You're of no benefit at all. Move down to the toe. I got this."  
Dummy makes a noise that could most likely be interpreted as a sad noise, as he moves lower, bumping his creator's hand as he goes.  
"Okay, I'm sorry, am I in your way?" He questions, though he knows he'll get no answer, and moves down to the toe of the boot himself, where the bot is, again, in the way, "Up. Screw it. Don't even move. You… are a tragedy." He states simply as he finishes his work, blowing on the soldering iron and stamping it on a sponge-like object before putting it away. He presses a button on the boot and the calf opens up in the back.**

"Are you always this mean to it?" Sam asked disappointed.

"Him." Vision calmly corrected. "Mr Stark is very kind to us." Vision seemed to say us without thinking but seemed to go with it either way. Tony looked at him fondly. Wanda watched the look Tony was giving Vision and bit her lip remembering how much Stark meant to Vision. **  
The next scene is being shot out of a video camera, showing Tony on a black gridded platform, the newly created Mark II boots on his feet, and a set of controllers in his hands, all hooked up with wires to the arc reactor in his chest.  
"Okay, let's do this right," He says, stepping back, his metal-clad feet making loud, heavy footsteps, "Start mark, half a meter, and back and centre." He takes a deep breath and looks over at one of his bots, "Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety." The view changes so it's no longer being shot through a video recorder, instead revealing the second bot, "You, roll it."**

Tony grimaced realizing what was about to happen and the reaction it was going to get. **  
The view switches back to the recorder as Tony is adjusting something on his belt,**

 **"Okay, activate hand controls." He shifts a little in the boots as the machines begin to work, "We're gonna start off nice and easy. We're gonna see if 10% thrust capacity achieves lift."  
"And three,"  
"Two,"  
"One."  
The repulsors in the boots come to life, sending Tony into the air and back, taking his feet out from under him. He's pushed back until he's upside down and his front collides with the wall behind him. The repulsors stop and he falls to the ground with a pained grunt, where Dummy immediately sprays him with the fire extinguisher.**

Everyone burst out laughing. Tony reddened and glared at them all. They all continued laughing and after several seconds Tony spoke over the roar.

"About done yet?"

"Maybe. if we're lucky. We will get to watch when you tested the kinetic energy in your suit brother." Shuri suggested doubled over from laughter. T'challa blushed.

Hopefully not." T'challa replied.

Tony rolled his eyes as the laughter continued.


	19. Problems with the Board

**Credit for Transcript goes to Airbrushed on FFN :)**

 **-o-**

 **Tony is seated at his desk once again, his monitors displaying designs for what appears to be the digital schematics for the arm's repulsors. He's typing furiously, making adjustments here and there, only pausing to sip his coffee, but even then he continues typing with his one free hand, his eyes never leaving the screen.  
Back at his hologram table, he's using his pen that controls the position and movements of the holograms, swinging a spherical object around and setting in the correct position on the internal design. He clicks the pen once and shoves it into his pocket, taking a step forward and moving his arm into the holographic armor design. His finger taps the table before he moves his arm so that it's face up, the holograms moving with him to reveal the flight stabilizing repulsor resting in his palm.**

"Impressive holograms." Strange praised, Tony smiled.

"Thanks Doc." **  
The view switches to reveal the now assembled framework of the Iron Man arm, with Tony's arm resting inside of it as he closes the frame over his forearm and biceps. There are wires running from his arc reactor to the arm, giving it the power it needs to work. He makes a few tweaks with his tool, glancing over his shoulder at Pepper as she keys into the lab, a box with a coffee mug atop it resting in her hand, before he turns back to his work.**

 **"Up two… alright, set that."**

 **"I've been buzzing you. Did you hear the intercom?" The strawberry blonde inquires as she makes her way further into the workshop.**

"Tony hearing something?" Bruce asked amused. "Not very likely." Tony gave him a look of mock offense.

 **Tony, obviously not paying attention, begins to answer, "Yeah everything's… what?"**

 **Not surprised by the genius' attention span, Pepper simply sets the box and coffee on one of the workbenches as she answers, "Obadiah's upstairs."**

Rhodey narrowed his eyes.

 **"Great-"**

 **"What would you like me to tell him?"**

"How about to piss off?" suggested Rhodey. A few questioning looks were sent his way.

 **"Great," He repeats before answering her question, "I'll be right up." He places his free hand beneath the armor framework and lifts it up as gently as he can, grunting a slight, "Okay."**

 **Pepper seems to take notice of what he's doing now, taking a few steps closer and fixing him with a glare, "I thought you said you were done making weapons?"**

 **"Not a weapon," Tony corrects matter-of-factly.**

 **"It isn't," He states with a roll of his shoulder, "This is a flight stabilizer," He explains as he reaches forward and presses a button on the table. There's a faint whirring sound as he reassures her, "It's completely harmless." Just then, the stabilizer activates, shooting out from his palm and sending the mad genius flying back into a shelf.**

Everyone began to laugh again Tony glared at them.

"If you laugh for ages everytime I get hurt while testing things then this will take even longer." The laughter died down but amused looks were sent Tony's way.

 **Pepper winces and covers her ears at the sound of tools and supplies crashing and clattering to the ground, before turning back to stare at the genius as he gives his weak explanation.**

 **"I didn't expect that."**

A ripple of snickers went through the room again. Tony rolled his eyes. **  
Someone is playing the piano as Tony makes his way up the stairs from his workshop. There's an expensive looking statue sitting to the right of the steps, with a glass divider that has a stream of water flowing down it just behind it. The billionaire is free of the armor framework and the harness that had been around the arc reactor. He's left with blue jeans a light grey T-shirt covered in oil stains with a hole cut from the center, displaying the reactor.**

"Did you do that to all your shirts?" Thor asked mildly curious.

"I did for a while until… a thing happened." Tony replied vaguely. Thor looked like he wanted to ask what the thing was until Loki glared at him obviously noticing the pained look on Tony's face at the memory. **  
"How'd it go?" He questions as he makes his way further into the room.  
Obadiah is revealed to be the pianist, though he only spares a glance at the genius before he returns to playing.  
Pepper is seated on the couch surrounded by papers and typing on her laptop, but it's the pizza box on the table catches Tony's eye, "It went that bad, huh?"**

"How could you say that about Pizza!" Peter said in mock horror. Tony rolled his eyes before gesturing to the screen. **  
"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad," The older man states, his gaze never leaving the keys as he continues his playing.  
"Uh huh, sure doesn't," Tony states sarcastically as he opens the lid of the box, "Oh boy," He sighs as he reaches for a piece.**

 **"It would have gone better if you were there," Obadiah says once he's finished playing, reaching for his drink instead.**

 _Cause everything's better with Stark._ Wanda thought viciously

 **"Nuh uh," the billionaire mumbles through a bite of pizza as he glances over at his business partner, who is now rising from the piano bench, "You told me to lay low; that's what I've been doing," the mechanic reasons, snagging a napkin and waving it around as he speaks, "I lay low and you take care of all…" He trails off, wiping his mouth with the napkin.**

 **"Hey, come on," Obadiah interrupts him as he makes his way over to the genius, "In public, the press. This was a board of directors meeting," He states simply as he takes a seat next to Tony.**

 **That seems to catch Tony's attention, as he turns to Obadiah with a slightly surprised expression, "This was… this was a board of directors meeting?"**

 **Tony continues eating his pizza as the older man begins to explain, speaking as if Tony were a child, "The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction."**

"I was dealing with it." grumbled Tony, Rhodey looked at him disbelieving.

"Sure"

 **"A what?" Tony questions disbelievingly.**

"You didn't know what that was?" Clint snorted, Natasha glared at him.

"I knew what it was. I just was surprised." Tony retorted.

 **"They want to lock you out."**

 **"Why? Because the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was going to happen," He says, pointing an accusing finger at his partner.**

 **"Fifty six and a half," Pepper corrects him.**

"Yikes." Scott whistled.

 **"It doesn't matter," Tony argues, his voice rising just slightly as he turns to look at Pepper, "We own the controlling interest in the company."**

 **"Tony, the board has rights, too," Obadiah points out, drawing the billionaire's attention back to him, "They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."**

 **"I'm being responsible! That's a new direction… for me. For the company,"**

"Definitely for you." smirked Peter mischievously. Tony grinned at the kid.

 **Tony counters between bites. At Obie's open-mouthed, incredulous stare, he struggles a bit with the words and makes haste to correct himself, "I mean, me on the company's behalf, being responsible for the way that…"**

 **Pepper sighs, giving him an equally exasperated stare before he finally gives up, "Oh, this great." He stands abruptly and snags the pizza box.**

 **"Oh, come on. Tony. Tony." Obie calls after him before taking a quick sip of his drink.**

 **"I'll be in the shop," the annoyed mechanic supplies as he makes away with the pizza.**

 **"Hey, hey! Hey, Tony, listen," Obadiah says as he gets up and follows the genius, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to face him, "I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them."**

 **Obadiah points to the arc reactor poking through the hole cut in Tony's shirt, before continuing, "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."**

 **"No," Tony immediately declines, much to Obadiah's displeasure, "No, absolutely not."**

"Luckily otherwise we would be screwed." Natasha says matter of factly

 **"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!" He argues, raising his voice.**

 **"This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it." Tony says, effectively ending the discussion as he resumes walking away.**

 **"Alright, well this stays with me, then," Obadiah snags the pizza box from the genius, opening up the lid, "Go on, here you can have a piece. Take two."**

"Or the whole box." Strange said looking annoyed. On screen Tony still looked rather malnourished.

 **"Thank you," Tony states simply, his hand reaching into the frame to snatch the slices.**

 **"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" The older man calls after the retreating genius.**

 **"Good night, Obie."**


	20. Flight Test

I am BACK!!! :) Sorry for releasing a week late, to make up for it expect the next chapter tomorrow!

Enjoy

Credit for Transcript goes to Airbrushed on FFN

-o-

The camera pans around You's frame as Tony addresses the camera the bot is holding, "Day 11, test 37, configuration 2.0."

"Alright more of this." Rhodey exclaimed rubbing his hands together.

"You're excitement at the idea I could get hurt is irritating." Tony sighed.

"Less excitement about the actual injury and more excitement about the humor of the situation."He's back in the 'test zone' of his lab, the boots once again strapped to his feet, and the new flight stabilizers over his arms. He has wires connecting the armor parts to the arc reactor in his chest, glowing brighter as it powers the parts.He glances back at Dummy, "For lack of a better option, Dummy is still on fire safety." He points a firm finger at the whirring robotic arm, "If you douse me again, and I'm not on fire, I'm donating you to a city college," the bot gives a sad whir of understanding a droops its' 'head.'

"Cruel." muttered Clint. Vision glared at him.

"Tony would never donate any of the bots to a city college." Tony smiled slightly.Looking through You's camera, Tony shifts somewhat nervously in the repulsor boots, "All right, nice and easy," He holds his hands out to his sides, palms down, "Seriously… just going to start off with 1% thrust capacity."He takes a deep breath, his shoulders following the motion before he's finally ready, "And three, two, one."

Rhodey held his breath in anticipation deliberately looking extremely enthusiastic. Tony rolled his eyes.The repulsors in the boots and the in the palms of his hands activate, pushing him off the ground and allowing him to hover in the air. He stays like that for a minute, getting a feel for the sensation before he drops back down, breathing out an, "Okay."

"Nice." Rocket grinned particularly enjoying the scenes with the suit.He looks over his shoulder at Dummy, taking a step or two to face the bot before addressing him, "Please don't follow me around with it, either, 'cause I feel like I'm gonna catch on fire spontaneously," he explains, much to the bots displeasure, "Just stand down. If something happens, then come in."

"Are you regularly bursting into flame?" Drax asked staring at Tony. Quill rolled his eyes.

"It's a joke Drax."The view is no longer being shot from You's camera as Tony prepares himself for another test, "And again, let's bring it up to 2.5," he shifts a little in the boots again but seems much more confident this time around, "Three, two, one."The repulsors activate once again, this time with a bit more force, propelling Tony a little bit higher than the previous test. You's camera zooms in on his creator as he tries to steady himself, before the view is no longer shown through the bot. The repulsor boots are shown up close, the machinery hissing as it keeps Tony in the air. Having little experience flying, the genius starts to shift backwards, away from the testing area. He grunts a little as he tries to adjust his limbs so as to return to where he started, but instead moves over to his row of cars.

"Not the cars!" cried Scott dramatically."Okay, this is where I don't want to be!" He grunts again, trying to keep the repulsor blasts as far from the expensive cars as possible, "Not the car, not the car! Yikes!"

"Why do you keep your cars there when you test?" Steve questioned.

"Because it's a garage Rogers." Tony rolled his eyes."Table!" he continues his path over the vehicles and over one of his desks, sending papers flying around the room. As he approaches the wall he throws his hands out in front of him to stop the forward motion. It sends him back the way he came, the hand repulsors flickering once or twice. He gives a sort of hysteric, nervous laugh as he moves over the table again, yelling out reassurances to himself, "Could be worse! Could be worse, we're fine! Okay!"

"Yes, you could be hitting things again." smirked Peter. Tony smiled fondly at him.

"It would be entertaining though." Shuri added.

"Even if it meant the repulsors weren't working." Peter finished.He flies back to the starting point, finally starting to get a hang of the motions. He brings his hands to his sides, careful to keep his palms down, and pulls his legs together. He does a slight spin as he slowly makes his descent. The repulsors cut out and he lets himself fall the remainder of the short distance, the boots sparking as he hits the ground and stumbles to find his balance.

"Congratulations." Bruce said politely, beaming at the screen.

"Although this was a decade ago, I will not deny the compliment." Tony answered grinning back at the man.He lets out an exhilarating sigh, turning back to face Dummy, who is raising his head, ready to do his job as fire safety.

Rhodey gave an exaggerated gasp of anticipation.Tony holds up his hand, "NO, ah ah ah ah!" the bots gives a sad whir and lowers his head, "Yeah, I can fly."The scene switches and Tony steps forward, once again wearing the repulsor boots. This time, though, a set of robot arms come from the front and back, and attach a silver covering around the framework. A joint is being screwed in at the elbow, locking the armor into place.

"That looks much cooler than if I see it videoed back home." Tony sighed longingly.

"Agreed." Rocket was gazing at the screen entranced.

"I cannot wait to see if they show the suit up for my current suit." Tony grinned looking at the box of disks hopefully.An armor clad hand reaches forward and snags the mask of the suit, bringing it closer to the billionaire's face, "Jarvis, you there?" The face plate is attached, and the eye slits glow a pale blue as the AI responds, "At your service, Sir."

"Awesome." breathed Peter.Tony's face is seen from the view inside the helmet , the HUD scanning his facial features and lighting up with information, "Engage heads up display."

"How you don't get eye damage from bright artificial lighting constantly close to your eyes is a mystery." Stephen said sounding slightly exasperated."Check," Jarvis responds as the HUD continues to flash with data and calculations."Import all preferences from home interface," Tony says as the view switches to reveal his point of view, the suit scanning the workshop with remarkable detail."Will do, Sir," Jarvis scans the work benches and Tony's expensive cars, along with the exit ramp of the garage. Inside the suit, Tony is looking left to right, letting Jarvis set everything up."Alright, what do you say?""I have indeed been uploaded, Sir. We're online and ready.""Can we start the virtual walk-around?" Tony inquires as a display of the armor appears on the HUD, enlarging off to the side."Importing preferences and calibrating virtual environment."Tony allows for a slight quirk of his lips, "Do a check on control surfaces."A display of the leg of the armor appears on the screen, "As you wish."Music starts playing when the camera reveals the full exterior of the suit, the calves and knees of the armor open up and out, checking the flexibility and movement of the parts. Next are the thighs, arms, and back; the pieces flipping out and showing off the advanced mechanics of the suit. Tony flexes his left hand before the camera shows the right arm, a hidden slot opening up in the bicep and closing again. Last are the shoulders and neck, the camera panning around and showing off the glimmering silver armor as the genius turns his head from side to side.

A cheer ran through the more excitable or mechanical members of the audience. Like Peter, and Shuri specifically.The camera zooms in from the front, arc reactor and eye slits glowing brightly as Tony flexes his fingers again. Jarvis' voice cuts in, "Test complete; preparing to power down and begin diagnostics.""That was anticlimactic" moped Brunnhilde.

Inside the suit, the HUD continues to supply information in a glowing blue, "Tell you what. Do a weather and ATC check. Start listening in on ground control," Tony commands with the faintest of smiles, the HUD displaying the locations of nearby planes, the lights glistening in the genius' eyes.Rocket let out a cackling laugh, Groot joining in.

"Sir," Jarvis' somehow worried voice responds, the point of view from the suit showing a holographic display of the landscape outside the garage and the planes in the air, "there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is-""Jarvis," Tony cuts him off, sounding like a parent lecturing his child, "Sometimes you gotta run, before you can walk.""Which made utterly no sense." Vision muttered. Tony smirked.

"Definitely does."

"Sure." Stephen sighed.

The camera pans out from the front, showing off the silver plated armor, "Ready?" Tony straightens up inside the suit, his feet moving closer together and his hands palm down at his sides, "In three, two, one."The repulsor boots come to life, instantly lifting the genius a half a foot off the ground. He's a bit unsteady, but leans forward nonetheless, the mechanics of the suit whirring as he shoots forwards and out the garage ramp, skimming the cement of the exit with an exhilarating yell that fades into a crazed laugh.Tony smiled fondly in memory of his first flight, how fun it had been. Up to the point he almost died.

"WOO!" Tony yells again, the camera capturing the pure exuberance in the billionaire's features. There's a brief shot of the back of the suit as the flaps positioned on the shoulders work to steady the flight, the repulsors seen thrusting and glowing below."You definitely look happy." Bruce commented amused.

"That is a very true statement Banner." Thor added, Tony nodded happily.

The camera zooms out a bit just as Tony spins and twists in the air, doing his best to level out the flight. Finally he gets the hang of it, his face ecstatic as he gasps from the adrenaline rush.Through the helmet's view, the screen is shown locking onto the horizon, before the view zooms out again, the Malibu home disappearing in the distance.

"You got good at flying irritatingly fast." Rhodey muttered.

"There, there, Honeybear." Tony grinned, "I'm just a natural.""Handles like a dream," Tony notes, zooming out of frame, only for it to refocus from the helmet's view again. The music is much more pronounced now as the HUD focuses on a Ferris wheel, particularly a little kid eating ice cream. Upon spotting the armor, the kids eyes go wide and the scoop of ice cream falls from his cone."That must've really surprised that kid." Sam said.

"Definitely looks like it." Natasha agreed.

Zipping over the skyline and through the clouds, the city lights shining beneath him, Tony abruptly changes direction, shooting skyward."Alright, let's see what this thing can do," he addresses Jarvis as the view reveals him inside the suit again, "What's SR-71's record?""Oh God Tony." Rhodey sighed, "You didn't really?" Rhodey groaned. Tony smiled mysteriously in response.

As Jarvis responds, the HUD is shown again, the moon visible above as an image of 'SR-71 Blackbird' appearing to the right as the billionaire continues to gain altitude, "The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, Sir.""Records are made to be broken! Come on!" Tony shouts as the suit continues its' ascent.

"Alright! This is getting interesting." Rocket noted, a glint in his eyes.

"Sir," the AI speaks up again, the HUD flashing red with warnings, "there is a potentially fatal build up of ice occurring.""Tony…" sighed Natasha.

Completely ignoring that bit of information in favor of breaking the record, the suit continues to shoot upwards, "Keep going!""He's almost as reckless as you Strange." Wong commented, causing several in the room to jump having forgotten the quiet man was there.

"That is so not true." Scoffed Stephen.

"About the same amount of arrogance as well." Wong continued.

"Gee thanks." Stephen rolled his eyes.

"Let's not forget the sarcasm."

"You about done?" Stephen muttered, Wong hummed in agreement.

The metal is beginning to creak and groan from the restricting ice, but still Tony keeps going, "Higher!""Idiot." Rhodey said fondness accompanying the worry in his voice.

"I prefer the term moronic genius." Tony corrected. Rhodey glanced at him unamused.

The repulsor boots spark and die simultaneously, the glowing eyes of the helmet fading out, briefly revealing the genius' eyes inside before the climb stops, and the suit begins to plummet back to earth.Tony winced, memories of the wormhole flashing through his mind. He began to nervously tap his Arc Reactor again.

Tony screams as the world spins through what little vision he has through the eye slits, "We iced up, Jarvis! Deploy flaps!" There's no reply, so the billionaire tries again just as the suit is falling out of the frame, "JARVIS!?"The room collectively held their breath. Forgetting that the genius falling on screen was currently sitting among them.

In a final attempt, Tony manages to turn his body belly down, slowing the fall only slightly, "Come on, we gotta break the ice!"He scratches at a circular spot on his upper thigh, chipping away at the ice and manually twisting the circle. The flaps on the back of the armor flip open, breaking through more ice and slowing the descent a little bit more.The eyes light up again, the mechanics beginning to groan as the suit powers on. The HUD comes to life again, hundreds of images and code flashing over the screen as Tony continues the fall, the ground approaching worryingly fast.Suddenly, the repulsor boots come back, just in time to avoid crashing to the street. A car beeps and swerves out of the way just nearly missing the metal suit.The collective breath was released as several glares were thrown in the direction of the reckless man.

Rising into the air again, Tony breaks into a toothy smile and lets out an exhilarating half-yell-half laugh for his success, "YEAHAHAHA!"

Tony soars over the ocean as he approaches the Malibu home again, shooting a little higher into the air to get to the roof. He hovers over it, the armor swaying back and forth before he manages to steady it.Tony groaned quietly realising what was happening.

"Kill power."The eccentric genius drops through the roof, crushing the piano and dropping through the ceiling of his workshop, right on top of one of his very expensive cars."Which is why you don't test things in your garage." Steve spoke over the laughter sounding exasperated. Tony ignored him, unable to keep a slight smile off his face among all the humor.

The car alarms go off as the debris settles, Tony remaining in his spot atop his demolished vehicle. Dummy helpfully turns to face him, spraying him with the fire extinguisher, his creator leaning his head back in either pain or exasperation at his incompetent bot.


	21. A Little Hot Rod Red

**Credit to Transcript goes to Airbrushed on FFN**

 **-o-**

 **The billionaire is in his lab, the armour gone, in favour of an icepack being pressed to his head. He kicks aside a creeper without much thought, making his way towards the mug of coffee left atop a box, previously left by Pepper. He grabs the coffee and continues his walk forward, soon stopping in his tracks and furrowing his brow in curiosity. He removes the ice pack from his head and looks back at the box.**

 **There's nothing special about it; just simple and brown, with a sticky note attached to the top. He turns back, setting his coffee and ice aside.**

"That was the first and last time Tony Stark placed down a not empty coffee mug," Rhodey said dramatically, Tony flicked him.

 **"From Pepper," the note reads, written neatly in blue.**

 **He tosses the note aside and begins tearing at the brown wrapping.**

Several people leaned forward interested in what was in the wrapping.

 **He finally pulls it away, revealing a glass display case with the original arc reactor displayed proudly within. He picks it up almost gingerly, the gentle humming of the machinery audible even through the glass as he reads the words engraved on the ring surrounding the blue glow. 'Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.'**

"That's really nice of her!" smiled Bruce. Tony was smiling too, remember the gift.

"Saved my life she did." A few quizzical glances were sent his way and Rhodey was glowering.

 **The man himself is eyeing the gift with a bit of fondness, the corner of his lips quirking up just the slightest bit.**

 **The happy moment was soon over as the camera begins to pan to the side, the view becoming increasingly darker. Voices are heard until the view reveals two men, both leaning over the scraps of the Mark I. The one on the left is holding Tony's abandoned blueprints and the one on the right is discussing where the piece in his hand goes.**

"Idiots can't even assemble it correctly." scoffed Shuri.

"Who are these guys?" Clint asked confused.

"The Ten Rings," Sam said in a state the obvious tone.

 **The angle changes, revealing the somewhat reassembled Mark I, though not yet put back together. Raza is standing over it, a cigarette resting between his fingers and a scowl on his burned face.**

Tony winced again, although these memories were some of his oldest traumatic ones it still hurt. Especially watching them like this.

 **Back to the suit, the camera zooms in on the intimidating mask, which soon fades to the new and improved helmet on a computer screen.**

"I should have gotten rid of it somehow." Tony murmured, Rhodey overheard him.

"You couldn't have gotten rid of it in the state you escaped. Hell, it's a miracle you escaped at all" Tony hummed in acknowledgement but didn't believe the words.

 **"Notes; main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude," Tony says to Jarvis as he leans back in his desk chair. There's an ice pack taped to his shoulder and he's twirling a rag in his hands. "Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing…" he sits up with a wince, somewhat stiff from his injuries, "is the probable factor."**

"No... really?" Rocket snorted.

 **"A very astute observation, Sir," comes Jarvis' snarky reply, just like his creator, "Perhaps if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems." Ignoring him, Tony turns in his chair to face a different screen, having snagged a glass of green… sludge … from his desk, "Connect to the Sys. Co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold-titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?" He raises the glass to his lips taking a sip as Jarvis processes the information.**

"That should work," commented T'challa.

 **"Yes. Shall I render using proposed specifications?" The AI inquires.**

 **"Thrill me."**

 **The genius spins in his chair to face the TV as Jarvis begins the render on the nearby screen, the beginnings of a gold suit becoming more apparent. Tony is tuning into what the woman on TV is saying while he waits for his AI to finish his task.**

 **"Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A's high society," the blonde reporter is saying as Tony sits alone at his desk, brows slightly furrowed.**

"Shouldn't you be there?" asked Wong sounding mildly curious.

"Yep," Tony answered sighing slightly.

"Then why aren't you?" Quill asked. Tony nodded towards the screen.

 **"Jarvis, we get an invite for that?" He questions, leaning a bit to see past his monitors before picking up the faceplate of the armour on his desk.**

 **"I have no record of an invitation, Sir."**

"Oh," Quill muttered. Gamora rolled her eyes slightly.

 **"… hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference," the woman is saying as Tony is turning the mask in his hands, before finally holding it up to his face and looking at the television through the eye slits.**

"Highly controversial?" Loki almost snickered. "That is quite an understatement."

 **The front of the mask is shown, calculations and notes written on its' surface as the reporter speaks, "Some claim he's suffering from post-traumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks."**

 _They got the PTSD part right at least._ Tony thought bitterly.

 **The genius removes the mask, his face taking that of slightly troubled as the TV shows an image from the press conference.**

Natasha glanced at the off-screen Tony, a suspicion creeping into her subconscious.

 **"Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."**

 **Tony grimaces at the news story but makes no comment as Jarvis speaks up, the camera focusing in on the monitor where the armour's render is finishing up.**

 **"The render is complete."**

"It was going to be gold?" Clint snorted.

"I am Groot."

"No," Gamora snapped. "You do not need a solid gold suit of armour.

"I am Groot," Groot answered sadly.

 **"A little ostentatious, don't you think?" Tony asks, not really caring either way as he reaches for his smoothie glass and the pitcher.**

"Who are you and what have you done with Tony Stark." joked Rhodey, Tony rolled his eyes.

 **"What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet," Jarvis quips.**

"JARVIS definitely got his sense of humour from you, Tony," Bruce commented, Tony smiled fondly in memory of his AI.

 **Tony's doesn't comment at his expressive AI, because his eyes are fixed on the car he had been working on prior to his capture. "Tell you what," he looks back to his glass, pouring himself more of the smoothie, "Throw a little hot rod red in there."**

 **"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile."**

Snickers ran through the audience and Tony rolled his eyes.

 **Tony returns the pitcher to his desk as the monitor beside him starts to mix red in with the gold. Tony spins to look at it again as he takes a sip from his cup.**

 **"The render is complete," Jarvis states again.**

 **On the screen is the red and gold suit everyone knows and loves today.**

Peter cheered and although they would never admit it so was several other people. On the inside at least.

 **"Yeah, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it," He orders, setting aside the mask from before and grabbing his very expensive watch instead.**

"Nice watch," Stephen commented absentmindedly. Tony smirked at the man.

"Why thank you."

 **"Commencing automated assembly, estimated completion time is 5 hours."**

 **Looking at the time on his watch, Tony stands, "Don't wait up for me, honey."**

"You called everyone honey." Rhodey sighed.

"Only J and you Honeybear." Tony mocked.

"You got it, Mr Stank." He then began to laugh as Tony pouted.


	22. A Little Naive

Zooming down the road is one of Tony's many sports cars, this one silver and obviously having obtained some personal upgrades, not to mention the license plate that read 'STARK4.'

"As if you weren't noticeable enough." Sighed Bruce, Tony smirked at him.

"How else could I keep track of all the cars?"  
He's clearly breaking multiple traffic laws, but in the end, he simply pulls up to the curb of the concert hall, the hood speckled with droplets of water.  
"You are a terrible driver." noted Scott.

"I prefer being described as an incredibly talented irresponsible driver." Tony insisted, Nearly everyone rolled their eyes.  
Out steps Tony, handing off his keys to the red-vested valet-already waiting beside the car. He's dressed in a nice dress suit, and as he walks onto the red carpet the squealing voices and camera flashing is already being directed at him.

"Did Pepper help you?" asked Steve exasperated.

"If Ms Potts had helped him then she surely would of joined him." Loki pointed out.

"Having the ability to dress well is part of being rich." Stephen added.  
Obadiah is shown, clearly speaking to a reporter about the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing. "Weapons manufacturing is only a small part of what Stark Industries is all about," he's saying over the screaming, "And our partnership with the fire and rescue community…"  
"So now he's defending the decision." Rhodey practically snarled.

"He definitely didn't want to." muttered Tony.  
He trails off and turns to look at what all the commotion is about. Sure enough, Tony Stark is seen walking up the red carpet, adjusting a button on his suit coat while photographers snap as many pictures as they can.  
"How you deal with that I'll never know." Bruce shuddered.

"I kind of grew up having to put on a show. You guys are famous, but adding the fame of Iron Man on top of the fame of being a Stark is just tiring." Tony answered bitterly.

"Then why did you tell everyone you are Iron Man?" Wong asked with genuine curiosity.

"Removed the stress of keeping it a secret." shrugged Tony. Wanda was perplexed. Stark loved the fame, didn't he? Isn't he like 90% ego?  
A skimpy looking blonde sidles up to him, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, "Hey, Tony, remember me?"  
"Nope."  
"Sure don't," he deadpans, barely sparing her a glance. As he continues through the crowd, he pats an elderly man on the back, who is surrounded by women, "You look great, Hef." The man turns briefly, taking his pipe out of his mouth as he does, but Tony is already gone.  
"He looks so confused." Peter said sympathetically.  
"What's the world coming to when a guy's got to crash his own party?" He asks as he makes his way over to Obadiah, who laughs half-heartedly and sizes Tony up, a bit disbelievingly.  
"Look at you," he drawls, "Hey, what a surprise!"  
"I can really hear the joy in his voice." Quill said sarcastically.  
"I'll see you inside," Tony says, patting Obie on the arm and already starting to walk away.  
"Uh, hey," Obie says, somewhat quieter, causing the brunette to stop and turn around, "Listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them."  
"Which is?" asked Brunnhilde bored.  
Tony gives a terse nod, "You got it," he says, beginning to walk away again, "Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute."  
Inside the concert hall are tons of well dressed people; some dancing, some mingling, and others simply standing around the bar. The staff is clad in white suit coats and black bow ties, and can easily be spotted weaving through the crowd serving drinks and/or snacks, while others work the bar.  
"That looks fun." mused Scott.

"Those things are mostly just standing around and talking to people." Stephen grimaced at the memories of parties he'd attended.

"You can't even drink without a million conspiracy theories popping up." Tony sighed remorsefully.  
Onscreen, Tony (naturally) saunters up to the bar. He pulls some money out and addresses the bartender, "Give me a scotch. I'm starving."  
"That makes no sense whatsoever." Steve muttered.

"Makes sense to me." Brunnhilde placed another empty bottle with the collection by a disgusted Loki's legs.

"Didn't you just say that it brings up a thousand conspiracy theories?" Natasha questioned.

"Only when he gets drunk." Rhodey corrected. "Which takes a lot of alcohol."  
The bartender nods and Tony places the money in the glass on the counter when the man next to him speaks up.  
"Mr. Stark," Phil Coulson greets, turning to the man himself.  
"Phil!" cheered the original Avengers.  
"Yuh-huh?"  
"Agent Coulson."  
Tony, now holding his scotch, nods in acknowledgement, "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The guy from the…"  
"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson finishes for him as Tony turns to face the crowd, leaning against the counter.  
"How long did it take him to tell people to just call it SHIELD?" Vision questioned sounding slightly amused.

"Too long." Tony rolled his eyes.  
Tony breathes out a sigh and shakes his head as he raises his scotch to his lips, "God, you need a new name for that," he says as he sips his drink.  
"Yeah, I hear that a lot," the agent responds, "Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you."  
Tony glances his way and gives a nod before turning back to the crowd and taking another sip of his scotch.  
"There's still a lot of unanswered questions, and time can be a factor with these things. Let's just put something in the books," Phil goes on, though Tony doesn't seem to be interested at all. In fact, his eyes seem to have picked up something among the guests.  
Pepper Potts is revealed to be what caught the billionaire's eye; clad in a beautiful blue backless dress, her hair down and falling in ringlets over her shoulders.

"You are far too easily distracted." groaned Rhodey.

"Hey! It's for good reason."  
"How about the 24th, at 7:00 PM at Stark Industries?" Phil asks the clearly uninterested man.  
"Tell you what," Tony holds his hand out to Phil without even turning to face him. "You got it. You're absolutely right." Phil gives his hand a gentle shake as Tony continues not looking at him, "Well uh, I'm going to go to my assistant, and we'll make a date," he says, gesturing to Pepper across the floor.  
"I don't think you guys were talking about the same kind of date." Bruce took off and polished his glasses wearily.  
"You look fantastic! I didn't recognize you," Tony complements as he approaches Pepper, who spins around upon hearing his voice.  
"What are you doing here?" She asks in return.  
"Just avoiding government agents."

Several people couldn't help snickering at that.

"Isn't that all you do?" Natasha asked. Tony smirked in answer.  
"Are you by yourself?"  
"Yes," He quickly answers her question and nods to her outfit, "Where'd you get that dress?"  
She looks down at herself briefly, "Oh, it was a birthday present."  
"That's great."  
"From you, actually."  
"Well, I got great taste."  
She nods, offering an amused smile, "Yes."  
"Smooth." Rocket grinned.  
"You want to dance?" Tony asks, gesturing to the dance floor.  
She quickly shakes her head, "Oh, no, thank you…"  
"Alright, come on," he replies, ignoring her immediate "No" and grabbing her hand, leading her to where other people are dancing.  
"Even smoother." Quill added also grinning.  
She glances around with a nervous smile before Tony pulls her to him. She breathes out a sigh, peering over his shoulder while they dance.  
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He asks after a moment, giving her a measuring look as if it could tell him what she was thinking.  
"Obviously."  
She swallows hard and nervously shakes her head, "Oh, oh, no… no. I always forget to wear deodorant and dance with my boss in front of everyone that I work with in a dress with no back," she rambles.  
"Does look pretty shifty." Clint noted unimpressed.  
Tony shakes his head in disagreement, "You look great, and you smell great."  
"That went from a nice comment to something… else." Steve stared at the screen unamused.  
She looks down with an incredulous, "Oh, god…"  
Obviously noticing how uncomfortable Pepper truly is, Tony adds, "But I could fire you, if that would take the edge off."  
"How comforting." Sam smirked slightly.  
She allows for an amused smile, "I don't… I actually don't think that you could tie your shoes without me."  
"I could." Tony muttered offended.  
"I'd make it a week," he assures her.  
"Less." corrected Clint.  
"Really?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"Sure."  
She eyes him suspiciously, "What's your social security number?"  
He stares off to the side, obviously skimming for the information until he finally gives her his answer.  
"Five," he states with finality.  
Clint scoffed in disbelief.  
"Five," she drawls with a smile, "Right."  
"Right."  
"You're missing just… a couple of digits there," Pepper says with a nervous giggle.  
"The other eight?" he asks. "So I got you for the other eight."  
"How do you not know your own social security number?" sighed T'challa.

"I remember it now." Tony mumbled, thinking of his and Pepper's 'break.'  
She smiles and looks up at him, leaving them dancing in a circle and making awkward eye contact all the while. Starting to feel uncomfortable again, Pepper looks down and away.  
Tony takes notice again and suggests, "How about a little air?"  
"About time." muttered Wanda under her breath.  
Pepper is quick to nod in agreement. "Yes, I need some air," she says, and they start to walk off the dance floor, Coulson watching them with measuring eyes as they go.  
Outside, a clearly distraught Pepper Potts is standing to the right of a surprisingly awkward looking Tony Stark.  
"You look so uncomfortable." snorted Quill.

Drax laughed loudly, "That is very true."  
"That was totally weird," she's saying, to which Tony disagrees with a "Totally harmless."  
The audience gave several loud sighs, Tony pouted.  
She shakes her head, twiddling uneasily with a lock of her red hair, "It was totally not harmless, by the way."  
"Definitely not." agreed Natasha.  
"We're dancing. No one's even watching," Tony points out in a failed attempt to calm her nerves.  
"Yes, no one was watching Tony Stark." Stephen said sarcastically. Tony rolled his eyes.  
"Everybody who I work with… No, you know why?" She asks, her voice rising just the slightest bit as she swipes her hair from her face.  
"She is so pissed." murmured Scott.  
"I think you lost objectivity. I think they just … people… we just danced," he says, raising an eyebrow at her, clearly not understanding the issue.  
"I don't think others will see it that way Anthony." Thor said concerned.  
"No, it was not just a dance," Pepper counters, "You don't understand because you're you." She struggles for the words for a moment before continuing, "And everybody knows exactly who you are, and how you are with girls and all of that, which is completely fine. But, you know, then me; you're my boss, and I'm dancing with you."  
"They will see it like that." Thor nodded.  
Tony shakes his head, "I don't think it was taken that way."  
"Definitely was." Natasha smiled slightly.  
Pepper just keeps talking over him, trying desperately to make him get it, "Because it makes me look like the one who's trying to…"  
Tony grimaced. He had hoped that the people there were not jumping to those kinds of conclusions.  
"I just think you're overstating it," he shrugs.  
"You know, and we're here…" she continues. "And then I'm…" she swallows hard, looking close to tears by this point, "…wearing this ridiculous dress, and then we were dancing like that and…  
Peter looked around awkwardly, it didn't feel right, people thinking about Ms Pott's like that.  
She shakes her head again, but at some point Tony had just gone quiet and had taken to looking her in the eyes, as if trying to figure her out but not caring that he probably never will. The view shows them from the side, revealing Pepper nervously wringing her fingers as they inch closer and closer together.  
She grabs his arm, both of them closing their eyes, and just when it looks like they're about to kiss, Pepper seems to realize just what she's doing and opens her eyes.  
Most everyone groaned.

"Could the tension between you be any more unbearable?" asked Rocket incredulous.

"I know. Women right." Quill nudged him. "Can't take a hint." Quill then resorted to cowering under the look Gamora gave him.  
"I would like a drink, please…"  
"Ahh. Alcohol, the answer to everything." Tony cheered, trying to hide the memories of the hurt he felt in the moment being shown.  
"Got it, okay," Tony nods and starts walking away.  
She sighs in what's somewhat akin to relief, turning to face him again, "I would like a vodka martini, please."  
"Okay."  
"Very dry with olives, a lot of olives," she says, swiping her hair from her face, "Like, at least three olives."  
Sam whistled. "That is a hell of a lot of olives."  
Back inside, Tony is back at the bar, telling the bartender Pepper's order and putting money into the glass, "Two vodka martinis, extra dry, extra olives, extra fast. Make one of them dirty, will you?"  
The bartender nods and heads off, leaving Tony standing at the bar not knowing what to do with himself. That's, of course, when a certain reporter decides to make an appearance.  
"Christine always showed up at the most irritating times." Tony mumbled.  
"Wow, Tony Stark," the blonde says as she walks up to the bar, taking her place to the right of the billionaire. She's clad in a black dress, her hair pulled back, and wearing disbelieving look on her face.  
"Oh, hey…" Tony says, obviously recognizing her but not quite placing the name.  
"Of course you don't remember her." Wanda said, attempting to keep an edge to her voice.  
"Fancy seeing you here," she responds.  
The billionaire struggles for her name, "….Carrie."  
"-Christine," she corrects him.  
"That's right," he nods.  
"You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight," she states with an incredulous stare, "Can I at least get a reaction from you?"  
"For what?" asked Thor confused.  
He bites his lip, raising an eyebrow in her direction before finally breathing out, "Panic. I would say panic is my reaction…"  
"To not knowing what the hell you're talking about." Rhodey finished for On-screen Tony.  
"Cause I was referring to your company's involvement in this latest atrocity."  
"Yeah, they just put my name on the invitation. I don't know what to tell you."  
"I don't think she was referring to the party." Shuri breathed darkly.  
"I actually almost bought it; Hook, line, and sinker."  
"I was out of town, for a couple months, in case you didn't hear…"  
"Really?" Bruce began to polish his glasses again.  
Getting angry and frustrated now, Christine raises her voice, "Is this what you call accountability?" She hands him a small stack of pictures, "It's a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?"  
Tony winced the memories coming up again without permission. He began to tap nervously on his Arc Reactor.

"No." was heard throughout the room from the people who remembered the name of the town.  
Upon hearing the name, Tony looks up from the pictures he just received, something dangerous glistening in his eyes. He turns back to the photos, sifting through them. In the first one- dead cattle, tanks, parts of the town destroyed and men roaming about with his weapons. In the second- clearly one of the men who held him captive, barking orders while his henchmen move crates of Stark Industries weapons. The third shows an up-close view of the SI crates. The fourth, however, shows the Jericho missile, in all of its' destructive glory.

"Crap."

"Hang on how did they get the Jericho if you didn't build it?"

"Other-" Tony winced, "means."  
Tony lingers on the Jericho, asking quietly, "When were these taken?"  
"Yesterday."  
"Ultra crap"  
The genius shakes his head, "I didn't approve any shipment."  
"Well, your company did."  
"Complete and utter crap." Natasha whacked the speaker's head.

"Can you shut it Clint!" She hissed.  
The anger flashes in his eyes again as he shoots her a dangerous look, "Well, I'm not my company."  
Wanda grimaced, guilt resuming its journey into her unbidden.  
Outside, Tony is standing stiffly beside Obadiah as he shoos away reporters and paparazzi.  
"Please, do you mind?"  
"Have you seen these pictures?" Tony asks, leaning a bit closer to the older man so no one else can hear.  
Obadiah puts his hand on the brunette's shoulder as he walks up the steps, "Tony…"  
"He knew." Loki murmured immediately.  
"What's going on in Gulmira?" He demands.  
"Tony, you can't afford to be this naïve."  
"Just because you didn't tell him shit doesn't make him naive." snapped Stephen.  
"You know what? I was naïve before, when they said, 'Here's the line. We don't cross it. This is how we do business.' If we're double dealing under the table… are we?" By this point, his tone is furious and rendering Obadiah silent.  
"That is the worst poker face." Vision whispered to himself.  
A photographer from the crowd shouts, "Tony, your picture please?"  
Obadiah, who had turned to meet Tony's violent glare, pats him on the shoulder and puts his arm over him, "Come on, let's take a picture. Picture time!"  
Reluctantly, the genius puts his arm over Obadiah's back as the cameras start flashing.  
"Tony," Obie states, his tone condescending, "Who do you think locked you out?"  
"Asshole!"

"That Git!"

"I knew something was shifty about him!"

Meanwhile, Tony continued to nervously tap his Arc Reactor.  
Tony continues staring straight ahead, though his body language does nothing to hide how tense and enraged he feels. In the background, Christine stands not-so-subtly eavesdropping.  
"I was the one who filed the injunction against you," Obadiah continues, "It was the only way I could protect you."  
"Sure."  
And then he walks off, leaving Tony alone to stew in his anger and betrayal on the red carpet, clutching the offending pictures at his side.  
Most everyone was silently fuming at the betrayal.  
Behind him, Christine turns and walks back inside, but Tony just stays put, glaring daggers at Obadiah's back as he maneuvers through the crowd of reporters and to his car.

-o-

Thanks for Reading!

Leave a Review with what you thought!

:)


	23. A Decision

**Credit for Transcript to Airbrushed on FFN**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **Back in the workshop, a news reporter is shown on the flat-screen TV, updating viewers on the situation while a line of people carrying their belongings trudge up a rocky hillside behind her.  
** "Oh dear." Sighed Bruce, Tony grimaced at the screen. **  
"The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern-day Heart of Darkness." The camera starts to pan out, slowly revealing the rest of the workshop space surrounding the screen.  
As the woman continues talking, Tony is slowly revealed to be sitting on the couch, listening to the broadcast as he tinkers with the right armour gauntlet, rotating his wrist and wiggling his fingers.  
**"What are you doing?" asked Steve squinting at the screen.

"Making adjustments, adding new things," Tony answered vaguely, a faraway look on his face. **  
"Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power."  
From the front, Tony takes a deep breath, his eyes dark and passive- more focused on the screen rather than his work. He takes the screwdriver in his flesh hand and twists, finally turning towards his work, but it's clear he's listening to every word.  
**"Oh Tony," breathed Rhodey sadly recognizing the expression on his face. **  
"Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant."  
He twists the screwdriver again, rotates his wrist and moves his fingers, the light in the centre of his palm glowing and fading ominously with his movements.  
**"Are you adding the weapons?" questioned Rocket eagerly. Tony nodded his head slightly. **  
The sound of gunfire from the TV draws his attention back to it, the monitor showing terrorists running around with guns, firing off shots as the land around them smokes.  
"Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings."  
**"Oh god." groaned Peter, paling slightly as he remembered the earlier scenes. Tony squeezed his shoulder softly.

"I dealt with it." **  
Tony's eyes go dark as he watches camera zoom in on Raza smoking and glaring into the camera. The next shot is of the Jericho missile, while men bustle around it loading crates into vehicles.  
** "Was that Stane's fault?" paled Scott, glancing at Tony and Rhodey. Rhodey nodded as Tony put his head back in his hands. **  
Upon seeing the missile, Tony looks down, but the woman continues talking, "As you can see, these men are heavily armed, and on a mission- a mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way."  
** "You're going aren't you?" Natasha sighed slightly, already knowing the answer.

"How'd you expect me to stay away," Tony replied feebly. **  
Tony gives the screwdriver one last, strong twist, and stands from his position on the couch.  
"With no political will or international pressure, there's very little hope for these refugees."  
Tony strolls over to the counter and tosses the screwdriver onto it, not really caring where it ends up. His muscles are tense and his jaw is set as he raises his arm, the woman's voice continues to roll over his ears in the background.  
**Rhodey flicked his eyes to Tony, who had a similar, but more tired and defeated, expression on his face. **  
"Around me, a woman, begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents…" Tony raises his gloved hand, the view now directed at him and capturing the rage gleaming in his eyes, "…either forced to join their militia…"  
** A lot of the audience grimaced or looked saddened at this. **  
The light in his palm flares up, and he fires across the workshop, knocking down the ceiling light in an array of sparks, and sending Tony's arm back from the force of it.  
** "Yikes!" Quill jumped at that, Rocket burst out laughing at his shocked friend but stopped relatively quickly as Gamora also glared at him. **  
He looks at the destruction curiously, the reporter once again audible, "Desperate refugees clutch yellowed photographs, holding them up to anyone who will stop."  
Tony starts to walk forward, his features set and determined as he stares at the damage he caused.  
**A couple of people glanced at Tony in worry. The billionaire was staring straight ahead, seemingly lost in his thoughts, with a bitter look upon his face. **  
"A child's simple question, 'Where are my mother and father?' There's very little hope for these refugees …"  
From the side Tony's jaw is stiff and his eyes are gleaming with frustration and guilt.  
"…refugees who can only wonder, who, if anyone, will help them?"  
Tony drops his head, only looking up again once he's turned to face his reflection in the glass doors of the shop.  
**Rhodey's eyes widened slightly remembering how the glass had been broken the next time he had gone there. **  
He's glaring now, frustration turning to hate like the flick of a switch- hate for himself, and him alone. The room goes quiet as he stares at himself until he raises his armoured hand again.  
** The worried glances at Tony increased. Bruce, in particular, having gone through those sort of emotions himself in relation to the Hulk. **  
Just like that, his face twists into a deadly grimace as he aims at his reflection in the glass, shattering it effortlessly.  
** There were several startled cries again at the shattering glass, Bruce's gaze on Tony grew more alarmed. **  
He quickly shoots the one to the left, before turning and shooting the one directly in the centre as if he can't stand to look at himself any longer.  
** "Um, Tony?" Bruce began his worried gaze increasing. But Tony was distracted by the sudden hug Peter gave him.

"Woah, hang on…" he muttered.

"Oh shut up." murmured Rhodey, joining in on the hug. Tony's startled look relaxed into a relative calmness. **  
He turns and walks away, leaving the shattered glass scattered on the workshop floor.**

If this was going to be a recurring theme then how did she miss something like this? Natasha was internally cursing herself again. **  
Tony steps onto the testing platform now dressed in his under armour suit as he steps to the centre of the grid. The floor in front of him starts to separate, the armour's boots appearing in front of Tony's feet and a pair of robotic yellow arms holding up the calves.  
** "Again," Rocket nodded appreciatively. "Awesome." **  
He steps into the boots, the machines quickly attaching the calves and locking into place around his form, doing the same for the knees and thighs.  
** "Wow that looks badass, but I am so glad I made it easier to put on." Tony tapped on the Arc Reactor. **  
More robotic arms come down from the ceiling, holding out the opened gauntlets, which Tony slips his hands and arms into just as the silver back and chest pieces attach to his torso. Bits of the red armour is screwed on piece by piece, covering the inner workings of the suit in clean-cut red and gold.  
** Peter was gazing awestruck at the suit in all its glory. **  
The chest piece clicks into place over the arc reactor until the red chest plate moves to cover it, locking into place and intensifying its' glow.  
** "Why don't you cover it up?" questioned T'challa, "Isn't it's exposure a safety risk?"

"Brother, it looks way cooler that way." Shuri rolled her eyes. "Besides, Tony isn't stupid, the glass is probably a variation on metallic glass."

"Right you are Princess." Tony smiled slightly at the girl who grinned back. **  
The arms are finally attached and Tony pulls his hands free. He stays in place as the sides of the helmet are attached, until finally, the face plate clicks on, flips down, and the eyes light up; the final piece.  
** "I assume in all the video's involving you there is going to be dramatic suit-up scenes." Stephen sighed exasperatedly. Tony winked at the Doctor.

"Dramatically awesome you mean." But he was distracted by the idea that he could be in multiple videos.

"Right of course," Stephen answered rolling his eyes. **  
The suit is assembled.**


	24. Gulmira

Several people have been asking what movies I'll be doing this for. Since I'd rather not work on this fic for a decade, I'm not doing all the MCU the working list is below:  
IM1  
Avengers (battle of NY)  
IM3  
GotG 1  
Age of Ultron (maybe... I might just do some scenes from it)  
Civil War  
Spiderman Homecoming  
Ragnarok  
Infinity War

That will only keep me going for about half a decade... well shit... oh well. Hopefully, I actually get that far! (I won't be doing IM2 mostly because the videos in the fic were meant to help them with Thanos, I only threw in IM1 cause they're all assholes to Tony and IM3 because of minor information about the threat of spacey boi.

Enjoy the chapter!  
-o-  
Credit for transcript to Airbrushed on FFN

-o-x-o-

 **The armour goes speeding through the clouds, briefly passing by the screen before going supersonic and breaking the sound barrier, leaving a thin trail of white behind it.  
** Rocket groaned with longing at the speed of the suit on screen. Quill rolled his eyes, sending an exasperated, apologetic look in Tony's direction. **  
In Gulmira (which, true to Yinsen's words, is really quite small), groups of men, women, and children run screaming for their lives as terrorists invade their village. In the distance, missiles (not unlike the ones from the Jericho test) can be seen flying into the mountains, the explosions shaking the ground and kicking up dust and dirt.  
** "That's horrible." Steve winced.

"No Shit," muttered Scott, a look of horrified disgust on his face at the screen. **  
The villagers run with their hands above their heads in surrender as they're ushered out of their homes. One family is actually driven back inside by two men with guns, one of them kicking the door in and open firing into the house, effectively silencing their screams.**

Tony grimaced, although this was a long time ago, the guilt was there, fresh as always. **  
An explosion rings from one house, smoke spewing out the entryway. People are shot, kicked, and shoved around the streets, even lined up to await either recruitment or execution.**

"Now would be a great time to show up Tony." Bruce looked at the screen worried.

"I'll be there soon, I have excellent timing," Tony smirked, but no humour was in his eyes. **  
A familiar face enters the shot; the man who had first addressed Tony when he had woken up in the cave. He was shouting orders to his men, who were loading cases into their vehicles and rounding up families.  
** Tony scowled, at the screen. Most everyone else did too. None more than Rhodey and Peter, also Vision but any scowl was astronomical for him. **  
One family is pushed along as a whole, refusing to release one another. The father is hit especially hard in the back, sending them tumbling to the ground. When the leader sees the man, he shouts to his men, "That one there! Grab that dog! Put him with the others."  
** "Assholes." Quill looked disgusted. **  
The father was immediately ripped away, ready to be lined up for execution with the other men while his children and his wife screamed. One of his sons broke away from his mother's grip and started running for his father, screaming for his Papa.  
** Natasha swore to herself in Russian.

"Earth is really quite messed up," commented Brunnhilde.

"Most places are messed up." Loki rolled his eyes slightly. **  
His father broke away from his captor's grip as well, rushing for his son and gripping him in a hug. He tries desperately to usher him away, back to the imagined safety of his mother's arms, but the boy is having none of it.**

"Any time now Tones…" Rhodey murmured, glancing at the man. **  
The main spokesman walks up to the pair, obviously annoyed and outraged as he shouts, "What the hell is this?!" He reaches for the boy, ripping him out of his father's arms and throwing him to one of his lower henchmen. He and another man hold the father back, throwing him to the ground where it's easier to beat him.  
** "These men are despicable," Wanda growled, pushing her thoughts firmly away from her past and her parent's deaths.

"Agreed," Vision softly said. Wanda smiled grimly at him, a flash of hope in her chest at the acknowledgement. **  
The man's wife, now reunited with her both her children, screams for him, almost certainly begging them to stop their brutal kicking of her husband. The children join in, too, the boy from before shouting out as tears roll down his cheeks.  
** Everyone was ferociously glaring at the screen now. **  
Finally getting bored with it, the leader gives one final kick and gestures for his henchmen to get the father on his knees while he himself saunters away, "Shoot this dog! You're all incompetent."  
** "No," Thor cried, "Friend Anthony, please arrive." **  
The man's family continued to yell for him, his son screaming, "PAPA! PAPA!"  
The henchman is yelling now, too, only he's demanding that the father turns his head.  
Just before he pulls the trigger, there's a gust of wind as a figure descends from the sky, landing on the hard ground with a metal 'clang,' one knee bent and hands back.  
The flight stabilizers cut out, and the armour rises to its' full height, towering over the men who have turned to look. After the initial shock of their unexpected visitor, there are sounds of gunfire, but the bullets only ricochet off the gold titanium alloy.  
**Cheers filled the room at the appearance.

"You got that timing thing right." Rhodey smiled at Tony, who was staring grimly at the screen, _they were in that situation because of me…_

"Stop it Mr Stark." Peter flicked the man's shoulder. "What you're thinking is clear on your face, so stop it."

"You got it, kid." Tony sighed, not believing he actually could. **  
Tony turns to face the "brave" shooter, winding up a punch in the action and slamming his metal-clad fist into the man's chest, sending him up and into a concrete wall with enough force to dent it.**

"Ouch." Clint grinned, glad at the appearance of Iron Man, his distaste for the man ebbing away. **  
There are more shots, but Tony is quick (not to mention bullet-proof), and turns around to shoot a repulsor blast at the gunman, creating a body-shaped hole in the wall in the process. He moves on to the next man, sending him back and away from harming the civilians.  
He shoots another into their newfound stockpile of weapons, sending the cases tumbling over.  
**"This is oddly satisfying," Natasha smirked. **  
As the genius turns to aim his repulsors at the next group of men, he's forced to stop short when he realizes they now have the civilians in their grasp, using them as human shields and aiming guns to their heads.  
** "Crap." **  
They scream in terror, but nonetheless, Tony lowers his arms, flexing his fingers to shut down the blasts that never came.  
** "Oh my god." Shuri bit her lip glancing around in worry. **  
Inside the helmet, the HUD differentiates the civilians from the terrorists so no innocents will get injured. A compartment over each one of the armor's shoulders opens up, firing a quick succession of bullets into the enemy's faces, effectively saving the villagers.**

"You really have something for everything." Stephen sighed.

"The real magic is technology." insisted Tony.

"Yeah right." scoffed Stephen. "The real magic is magic."

"No, the real magic is love," Quill added in a sing-song voice. **  
The young boy breaks from his mother's hold once again and rushes back to his father. They grab each other in a hug, the father muttering reassurances as his son gazes up at the metal figure in wonder.  
** "Must of completely and utterly surprised them." Rhodey smiled slightly.

"Last thing to expect." agreed Bruce. **  
Inside one of the half-destroyed homes, the leader peers out from the side of the wall, only to duck back behind it to frantically dial a number on a clunky old phone. He never gets to finish, though, as he's interrupted by a red-iron fist breaking through the concrete beside his head.**

"Shit!" **  
The hand grabs him, ripping him straight through the wall and tossing him onto the ground at the villagers' feet.  
** "Take that you bastard!" cackled Rocket hysterically.

"I am Groot!" **  
He starts up the repulsors again, rising a few feet into the air, "He's all yours," he says to the small gathering of people, before shooting up into the sky, leaving the villagers to glare angrily at the terrorist before them.  
** "Shame, it would have been fun to see them beat him up." Loki sighed smirking. **  
Back in the sky, Tony's HUD locates the Jericho missiles from another nearby raided village.**

"Fucking Obie," Tony growled to himself. **  
Tony is just starting to head in the Jericho's direction when he's hit by a projectile and shot out of the sky.  
** There were several startled cries. **  
The source of the projectile is revealed to be a tank as he plummets to the earth in the background.  
** "Whoever is in that tank has some damn good aim." Shuri looked mildly impressed.

"Oh yes, I'm fine by the way," muttered Tony.

"You're Tony Stark, if you died from that I would be worried about your intelligence." Shuri rolled her eyes.

"True." **  
Out of the fresh crater in the ground, a metal hand reaches up, and Tony pulls himself to his feet with a robotic whirring sound. The paint job on the armour is now scratched and scorched in nearly every place, but overall the armour is seemingly intact.  
** "The Iron Man armour looks constantly pissed," commented Clint.

"That's the idea bird-brain." Tony looked smug. **  
His feet hit the ground with two big thumps as he stands tall to face the tank. It fires another missile at him, but he merely sides steps to avoid getting hit and raises his arm to fire a missile of his own.  
** "That tank is screwed." Peter's mouth twitched. **  
It hits the tank with a clunk, and he turns away, not at all amused.  
Behind him, the missile explodes in a great ball of fire and smoke as he's walking away.**

"That is quite possibly the most badass thing I've seen." Peter gazed awestruck at the screen. Tony grinned in triumph.

"You are too easy to please." Rhodey whispered to Tony, who rolled his eyes. **  
The men hiding among the rubble begin to fire at him, but still, the bullets do nothing to the well-crafted suit as it rises once again into the air. Spotting the Jericho missiles from the birds-eye view, Tony aims a high powered repulsor blast at the weapon, effectively blowing it to pieces.**

"Take that you assholes!" cheered the room is various cries. **  
Raza and his men are shown driving along the mountain path just as the explosion spreads throughout the terrorist infested village, not to mention just as Iron Man shoots out through the smoke and into the air.**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **Remember to comment what you thought! or any questions/suggestions.**


	25. Bogey

**Monitors displaying a radar and a blinking red dot travelling along it are shown, accompanied by the confused muttering of military personnel.  
One soldier leans over the desk, looking at the screen, then to the man sitting at the desk, "What the hell was that? Were we cleared to go in there?"  
**"Oh I remember this." sighs Rhodey, shaking his head slightly. **  
The younger man shakes his head, "No sir, they were using human shields. We never got the green light."  
The camera quickly pans up to one man, who is clearly in charge, talking into his mic, "Patch me through to state, they're going to be all over this."  
**"They didn't know you were there." Thor realised. Loki chuckled,

"Maybe he will get blasted out of the air." Tony glared at the smirking god. **  
"Get those monitors up!" Someone shouts from across the room.  
"We got a bogey," the man at the desk says, reaching for the phone beside him as his free hand types on the keyboard.  
"Wasn't AirForce!" One soldier provides.  
The man in charge is clearly getting frustrated at this point as he asks, "We got the CIA on the line?"  
"I've got Langley on the line; they want to know if it's us."  
"No, it is definitely not us, sir," the soldier at the desks answers.  
"It wasn't Navy," another shouts.  
"Wasn't marines!"  
**"Well, you're screwed," said Quill matter of factly.

"You have no faith in Starks awesome technology." snorted Rocket.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys." Tony groaned. **  
"I need answers," the one in charge says, "Can I please get eyes on target?" A brief shot of the room at large reveals that they are no closer to getting the answers they need, so the man adds, "Get me Colonel Rhodes from weapons development down here now!"  
** "Go Rhodey!" cheered Tony.

"You are a child." Rhodey rolled his eyes."

"Excuse me?" Tony gave him a look of mock offence. "I am an immature adult thank you very much."

"Of course. I had forgotten." **  
Tony is shown shooting through the sky again, simply minding his own business before the shot returns to the base once more, just as Rhodes is walking in.  
** "Must you do everything to Rock and Roll." Wong sighed, "You are far too much like Strange." Stephen looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't do _everything_ to Rock and Roll."

"I beg to differ."

"I do _some_ things to Rock. But then it is mostly Pink Floyd."

"Nice." complimented Tony and Quill in unison. Stephen nodded once.

"Why exactly did we start talking about music again?" Gamora asked wearily. **  
We ran an ID check and cross-referenced with all known databases. We have nothing," the leader says as the Colonel approaches.  
"Any high altitude surveillance in the region?" He asks, and one man answers.  
"We got an AWOK and a Global Hawk in the area."  
Rhodes brow furrows in confusion as he studies the screen, "So this thing just appeared out of nowhere?" He stands a bit straighter as he addresses the room, "How come it didn't show up on the radar?"  
**"Because I'm too awesome," Tony said immediately

"Or you're just too small." corrected Natasha. **  
"Got a minimal radar cross-section, sir," is the soldier at the desk's response.  
Rhodey is clearly getting frustrated at this point, but his voice never shows it, "Is it stealth?"  
**"Oh crap!" Tony clapped a hand to his forehead. "I forgot to add the retroreflective panels!"

"Seriously?" half the room sighed (the non-science people)

"Too bad there isn't a lab in here for you to work yourself to death." teased Rhodey.

"Oh hush honey bear." sulked Tony. **  
"No sir," the same man says, "it's... tiny. We think it's an unmanned aerial vehicle."  
** "Wrong." Vision stated calmly. **  
"Colonel," the soldier in charge lowers his voice to ask, "what are we dealing with here?"  
** "Awesomeness."

"Tony, we get you're awesome. Can you not point it out every minute?" Bruce grimaced. **  
Contemplating his answer for a minute, James lowers his head, "Let me make a call."  
** "You know me so well." Tony smiled at Rhodey.

"I know you're idiocy in regards to Government laws so well." corrected Rhodey. **  
Back in the air, the sound of a cell phone ringing can be heard from the suit.  
"Hello," Tony answers nonchalantly.  
"Tony?"  
"Who's this?" Tony's voice can be heard over the colonel's receiver.  
"It's Rhodes."  
"Sorry, hello?" the billionaire asks again, the HUD in his suit clearly showing a picture of the Colonel.  
**"Is this really the time to mess with him?" Scott questioned.

"It's always the time to mess with him," Tony smirked at an unamused Rhodey. **  
"I said it's Rhodes."  
"Speak up please," Tony teases.  
"What in the hell is that noise?" the colonel responds, clearly annoyed at this point.  
"Oh, yeah, I'm driving with the top down," he lies easily.  
**"Right of course." **  
"Yeah, well I need your help right now."  
"It's funny how that works, huh?" Tony says, alluding to their earlier conversation at the base.**

"Asshole." Tony glared at Rhodey.

"Sorry." Rhodey looked sheepish. **  
"Yeah," he ignores the half-hearted jab, and continues on, "Speaking of funny, we've got a weapons depot that was just blown up a few clicks from where you were being held captive."  
"Well, that's a hot spot," the genius answers quickly, "Sounds like..." he takes a deep breath, "someone stepped in and did your job for you, huh?"  
**"That isn't obvious at all." Clint rolled his eyes. **  
"Why do you sound out of breath, Tony?" Rhodey inquires, clearly suspicious now.  
"I'm not, I was just jogging in the canyon," he explains.  
**"Yes, since you always do that." **  
On his head, Rhodes nods and corrects his friend, "I thought you were driving."  
"Right... I was driving to the canyon... where I'm going to jog."  
**"So much for being a good liar." chuckled Sam.

"Hey, you try lying to Rhodey! It's surprisingly hard." Tony insisted.

"Why did you have to lie exactly?" Steve raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know sometimes people just lie." snapped Tony automatically. Steve winced and an awkward silence filled the cinema as the film resumed. **  
"You sure you don't have any tech in that area I should know about?"  
"Nope!"  
"Bogey spotted!" one soldier updates the room at large.  
"Whiplash, come in hot," another says.  
"Okay, good," the colonel says, turning to face the monitor, "'cause I'm staring at one right now, and it's about to be blown to kingdom come."  
In the air, two jets approach the suit from behind.  
**"Just like that?" Peter broke the silence, looking worried.

"I'm okay spiderling. Just the government being idiots like usual." Tony smiled slightly at the teen. **  
"That's my exit," Tony glances back at them, before rolling off to the side.  
** "Your suits have excellent mobility," commented T'challa.

"Especially since they used to be so… heavy," smirked Shuri.

"They have greatly improved since." Tony pointed out to the Princess. **  
The Jets follow suit, going after the unknown aircraft.  
The camera shows the view from the cockpit of one of the jets, but the suit is hard to make out from the repulsor glare. "Ballroom, this is whiplash one, I've got the bogey in my sights," the first pilot informs.  
"Whiplash one, what is it?" Rhodes asks.  
**"Me you idiot," muttered Tony.

"You said yourself that it wasn't." Drax gazed at the genius. **  
"I've got no idea."  
"Do you have radio contact?" the man in charge questions.  
"Nonresponsive, sir."  
"Then you are clear to engage."  
Through the HUD of Tony's suit, just above the horizon line, are the words, 'ENGAGE; SUPERSONIC FLIGHT'.  
**"Nice." **  
"Hit it," Tony commands, and the suit shoots forward.  
"Bogey just went supersonic!" one pilot reports. "I got a lock!" He then proceeds to hit a button and a missile shoots out from beneath the jet.  
**"Is it normal to get a lock that fast after going supersonic?" asked Bruce curiously.

"Just good weaponry," answered Rhodey. **  
"Inbound missile," JARVIS informs his creator.  
"Flares!" he shouts in response, and the flares deploy, blowing up the missile and sending him tumbling forward in a burst of fire.  
**"Yikes." yelped Scott. **  
The pilots dodge the explosion, continuing their pursuit of the aircraft.  
"Wait a second- Bogey deployed flares!" one pilot shouts, as it cuts to a shot of Tony trying to regain his flight as he falls through the air.  
He struggles a bit longer, but eventually, he levels out and shoots past the screen, the Jets not far behind.  
**"This is why I added those flight stabilizers." Tony looked pointedly at Rhodey.

"Hey, I didn't say you didn't need them. I just said they make you look like a messed up butterfly." Rhodey defended. Tony scoffed, not answering. **  
One of the pilots gets a lock on the suit again and starts firing shots. Tony grunts as they impact the suit and tries to manoeuvre out of the line of fire. When that doesn't work, he shouts, "Deploy flaps!"  
The flaps in the back of the suit fly open, slowing his forward momentum and allowing the jets to pass him.  
"Holy-" curses one pilot as they both watch the suit fly past them.  
**"Awesome." **  
Back in the base, one soldier reports, "That thing just jumped off the radar, sir. The sat visual has been lost.  
"No way that's a UAV," one of the pilots deducts, still glancing around for sight of the suit.  
**"Now you get that," Tony said crossly. **  
"What is it?" the man in charge says.  
Still looking around, the pilot shakes his head, "I can't see anything."  
"Whatever it was, it just bought the farm," the other pilot decides. "I think bogey's been handled, sir."  
Rhodey is slightly more at ease, but clearly not convinced as he stares at the radar. His attention is only drawn from it when his personal cell phone starts to ring. He looks down at the caller ID.  
**"Starkster?" chuckled Tony, amused.

"Don't worry, I changed it to Tony Stank." Rhodey assured him in an incredibly serious voice." **  
Rhodey glances around the room before turning his back and answering the phone, "Hello?"  
"Hi," Tony answers quickly, even more out of breath, "Rhodey, it's me."  
"It's who?"  
**"Really?" Natasha rolled her eyes. "You are so…" she sighed. Tony smirked slightly. **  
"I'm sorry, it is me. You asked, what you're asking about is me..." he trails off, taking a deep breath.  
"No, see, this isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. You understand that?" Rhodey scolds.  
"This is not a piece of equipment!" Tony corrects him, clenching his eyes shut as his HUD blinks red. When Rhodes still doesn't get it, he elaborates, "I'm in it! It's a suit, it's me!"  
Understanding overtakes the Colonel's features as he turns to the radar screens, the soldier in charge turning to him with a questioning look.  
"Rhodes, you got anything for me?"  
**"Oh yeah, the bogey is, in fact, Tony Stark, the billion genius who is flying around, taking out terrorists in an armoured metal suit." Rhodey deadpanned.

"Please tell me you said that." snorted Clint. **  
"Mark your position and return to base," someone from base orders the jets.  
"Roger that, Ballroom," one of the pilots says.  
As the first jet starts to turn around and head back to base, the armour is revealed to be clinging on to the underbelly.  
**"Are you seriously doing that?" Bruce sighed.

"Where else was I supposed to go?" Tony glanced at him.

"I don't know, away?"

"They would've seen me do that."

"Of course." Bruce sighed disbelieving. **  
The other pilot notices and leans in for a closer look, "On your belly-"  
The Colonel and the man in charge share a look as the pilot continues.  
"It looks like a... man! Shake him off! Roll! Roll!"  
The pilot complies and starts rolling his aircraft as Tony clings on for dear life, but sadly, metal-clad fingers don't hold such a strong grip. His hands slip and he goes tumbling backwards, directly into the wing of the second jet and ripping it clean off.  
**"Ouch." winced Peter, thinking back to when that had happened to him on the Avengers plane. **  
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" the pilot shouts as his aircraft starts to smoke and tumble.**

"Oh crap." groaned Quill worried. **  
Colonel Rhodes stares at the radar in fear for both his pilot and his best friend.  
"Punchout! Punch out!" The other pilot yells as the crashing pilot continues scrambling for the eject feature.  
He's ejected from the aircraft just as it blows to bits, and he's left falling from the air in his seat.  
"Whiplash one down!" Someone shouts.  
**"Where's his chute?" asked Sam looking uneasy. **  
The soldier with the most authority stares intently at the screen as he addresses the second pilot, "Whiplash two, do you see a chute?"  
"Negative! No chute! No chute!"  
**"Tony…" Bruce murmured. **  
The camera angle switches to the falling pilot's point of view as he falls from the air, his struggle to open the chute audible over the coms.  
"My chute's jammed!" he shouts, obviously panicking now.  
**"Oh no…" Wanda looked down at her hands. **  
He spreads his arms, hoping to slow his fall, when a trail of smoke comes shooting down after him from above, along with a flash of red and gold.  
"Sir, I've got a visual on the bogey," the pilot reports.  
"Whiplash two, re-engage. If you get a clear shot, you take it!" He orders.  
Rhodey glances nervously at the man, "Sir, we don't even know what we're shooting at. Call off the raptors."  
**"About time you said something," Tony muttered. **  
The man shoots him a cold glare, "That thing just took out an F-22 inside a legal no-fly zone!" He addresses the pilot again, but never breaks eye contact with the Colonel, "Whiplash two, if you have a clear shot, take it!"  
The suit is shown flying downwards for the pilot as JARVIS speaks up, "You've been re-engaged. Execute evasive manoeuvre."  
"Keep going!" Tony commands.  
Finally, he reaches the pilot, grabbing onto the back of his seat and punching out the parachute. It opens immediately, and he flies up and out of sight.  
**The room cheered again. Tony sighed, looking tired.

"Thank goodness." Mantis removed her hand from her mouth, her own panicked expression fading. **  
"Good chute! Good chute" The pilot informs the base, and they all cheer in relief.  
Tony flies away, twirling around in the air as the jet is seen turning away in the distance.  
Rhodey puts his phone back up to his ear, "Tony, you still there?"  
"Hey, thanks," he breathes out in response.  
"Oh, my god, you crazy son of a bitch," Rhodey grins, taking in a shuddering breath of relief. "You owe me a plane. You know that, right?"  
**"That is going to cost a lot." pointed out T'challa.

"But then again, Tony does seem to have a bottomless wallet for some reason." **  
Tony smiles and laughs a bit as the adrenaline rush fades, "Yeah, well technically, he hit me. So, now are you going to come by and see what I'm working on?"  
"No, no, no, no, no, no, the less I know, the better," he says, shaking his head. "Now what am I supposed to tell the press?"  
"Training exercise," Tony supplies easily, "isn't that the usual BS?"  
Rhodey sighs, "It's not that simple."  
"Of course it is," Tony adds with a nonchalant wave of his hand.  
**"No, it isn't" Sam insisted.

"Oh it is," smirked Tony. **  
The scene switches over to a view of Rhodes in uniform, standing at a podium with an array of microphones set up in front of him.  
Cameras are flashing and people quiet down as he begins to speak, "An unfortunate training exercise involving an F-22 Raptor occurred yesterday. I am pleased to report that the pilot was not injured."  
**"See?" Tony looked at an unamused Sam. **  
The shot switches to a very angry Obadiah Stane, sitting on his couch in his pyjamas and robe as he watches the news broadcast.  
** Tony's light-hearted expression immediately faded, switching to the darker one he had held every time he had seen Obadiah throughout the film. **  
Rhodey continues speaking as the view shows Obadiah's television, with the headline, 'PILOT PARACHUTES TO SAFETY AFTER TRAINING MISHAP - $84 MILLION DOLLAR F-22 RAPTOR DESTROYED.'**

"Yep, you definitely have a bottomless wallet." **  
"As for the unexpected turn of events on the ground in Gulmira, it is still unclear who, or what, intervened, but I can assure you that the United States government was not involved," Rhodes finishes as the camera zooms in on Stane's scowl.**


	26. A Gift of Iron Soldiers

**Transcript by Airbrushed on FFN**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **A shiny pair of black stiletto heels can be seen carefully but smoothly making their way down a flight of concrete stairs. The glass windows to the workshop are still blown out, and there's a distinct sound of machines working from below.  
** "She's going to find out now isn't she?" smirked Bruce. Tony grunted in response. **  
There comes a quick, "Hey!" from below as the camera pans out to reveal the owner of the heels to be none other than Pepper Potts, clad in a black dress appropriate for a workplace.  
"It is a tight fit, sir," Jarvis replies, almost as if exasperated with his creator. There's another grunt before the AI adds, "Sir, the more you struggle, the more this is going to hurt."  
**Clint sputtered, which quickly followed by a cry as Natasha hit his shoulder disapprovingly. But she was smirking so Clint didn't really pay attention **  
Pepper, who was frowning down at the remains of the glass doors to the shop, looks up at that statement.  
"Be gentle," Tony grumbles, the whirring sound of machines still prominent, "This is my first time."  
**"Must you make everything sexual?" sighed Rhodey.

"It's an instinct." insisted Tony as everyone, specifically the males in the room held back laughter. **  
The strawberry blondes features are beyond incredulous at this point, when the view finally switches and reveals Tony, clad in his damaged- but overall functioning- suit of armour. He's surrounded by the same robotic arms that had originally encased him in the suit, though it appears that undoing the process is proving to be a bit more difficult.  
** "Thank god I fixed how I got it on." Tony grimaced.

"You went from that to Nanotech in 10 years?" T'challa questioned surprised.

"I would have done it faster if I wasn't held back by you guy's constant need for my awesome equipment." Tony poked Rhodey who smirked. **  
"I designed this to come off, so-," there's a loud clang and a blurted, "OW! Hey!" from the genius. "I really should be able to..."  
"Please, try not to move, Sir," Jarvis reprimands, although the request is clearly ignored.  
Pepper steps cautiously into the room, staring at her boss like he's grown a second head, "What's going on here?"  
**"Well, obviously I'm just getting out of my highly weaponized suit of armour I built to fight all the baddies in the world." Tony instantly answered. **  
The robotic arms, no doubt controlled by Jarvis, all pause in their work, like a child being caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, as Tony reluctantly turns his head back to look at Pepper.  
** "This is really reminding me of how Aunt May found out." groaned Peter.

"How did she?" asked Bruce curiously.

"She walked in on me taking off my mask," muttered Peter.

"I still have the footage of that." Tony sighed wistfully. "KAREN made extra care to send me it. I believe her exact words were 'What the f-'" Tony was silenced as Rhodey calmly placed a hand over his mouth.

"You two are eerily alike," Quill noted. "Are you sure you're not related?"

"Yes," Peter said immediately.

"Pur-lease Peter." Rhodey rolled his eyes dramatically. "You are Tony's son in everything but blood. I don't think I ever have seen him become more attached to anyone in such a short span of time."

Peter went bright red and began to stutter unintelligible phrases.

"Damn right." Tony ruffled Peter's hair, ignoring the speechless expression on his face.

"Slow down Stark. You might just give him a heart attack." laughed Shuri. **  
There's a moment of silence before Tony finally decides on, "Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."  
** "That definitely isn't ominous." Natasha grimaced. **  
At this point, her jaw has dropped open, and there's nothing she can truly say to that besides a breathless, "Are those bullet holes?"  
** "No they're decorative." deadpanned Stephen. **  
The monitor shows armed men walking around what appears to be a base camp. There are tents and cheap vehicles scattered around, though the cover of night mixed with the dust floating in the air makes it difficult to pick out any specific details.  
** At the change in setting Tony instantly froze, his eyes widening and fist's clenching. Rhodey put a hand on Tony's in comfort as FRIDAY immediately began to murmur comforting words in his ear. **  
The men start conversing with one another when a short line of large, black SUV's pull up, kicking up dirt in their tracks. Some of the men move to stand behind their leader, while others stay off to the side and watch for suspicious behaviour from their guests.  
** "Three guesses to who that is," Loki said calmly.

"Stane, Stane, and Stane." Rocket spat on the ground which got him a glare from T'challa and Shuri who he ignored. **  
Raza is standing in wait for whoever occupies the lead SUV, two men on each flank. They each hold a gun across their chest, but Raza appears, for the most part, unarmed.  
The driver of the SUV steps out first, followed by both the occupants in the front and back seats of the passenger side. When the doors close, none other than Obadiah Stane is revealed, clad in a pristine black suit and tie that leaves him looking rather out of place, given his current location.  
**"Asshole." snarled Tony venomously earning him several startled looks at his murderous tone. **  
He stalks forward, his own men mirroring Raza's but managing to look much more intimidating. He stops a mere step short from the man, sizes him up, and then stands in wait.  
"Welcome," Raza greets, although there's no indication of genuine friendship.  
In response, Obadiah tilts his head to get a better look at the burned half of Raza's face, raising his eyebrows at the man.  
"Compliments of Tony Stark," the terrorist explains, gesturing to his wound.  
**"If only I had killed him." Tony narrowed his eyes. **  
Stane smacks his lips, then speaks in a condescending tone, "Well, if you'd killed him when you were supposed to, you'd still have a face."  
** Tony flinched and closed his eyes betrayal burning through him. Everyone else glared at the screen and at his betrayal. **  
"You paid us trinkets to kill a prince," Raza replies, nearly a growl.  
"Show me the weapon," the older man demands, clearly not up for a debate.  
**"Weapon?" Steve looked confused. Loki groaned.

"They mean the suit he used to escape." Loki glanced briefly at Tony. His mind supplying him with irritating thoughts about how similar they were turning out to be. **  
"Come," he says, then, after glancing at the business man's men, he adds, "leave your guards outside."  
Obadiah nods and waves his men off with a flick of his wrist before he follows Raza into one of the tents. Inside there are supplies and weapons crates, along with a red flag with ten rings overlapping and arranged in a circle; within that circle are two swords, crossed like an 'X.'**

Tony rubbed his temples ferociously. Ignoring the pitying looks being sent his way. **  
However, the first thing Obadiah sees upon entering isn't the flag or the crates, rather, it's the Mark I; the original Iron Man armour.**

"Oh, brother." Thor sighed. "You just had to be right didn't you?"

"I am quite good at that," Loki smirked. **  
"His escape bore unexpected fruit," Raza explains once he enters, walking over to a table that seems to be covered in blueprints.  
Stane makes his way over the suit, crossing his arms over his chest so as not to appear too eager, "So this is how he did it."  
"This is only a first crude effort," the other man continues as Obie makes his way over to exam the suit closer, "Stark has perfected his design. He has made a masterpiece of death." He looks longingly at the Mark I, his expression almost matching Obadiah's, "A man with a dozen of these can rule all of Asia. And you dream of Stark's throne."  
Obadiah looks over his shoulder at the terrorist leader, his glare holding disbelief of the fact that Raza thinks he'd just give him a dozen of these suits.  
**"Yeah, like Stane would even leave him with the plans." hissed Tony. **  
"We have a common enemy," Raza decides when the businessman turns his attention back to the armour, running his fingers thoughtfully along the hole in the chest plate; where the arc reactor belongs. "If we are still in business, I will give you these designs as a gift." He pours some liquid into a cup and looks to the older man, who still hasn't said much at all, "And in turn, I hope you'll repay me with a gift of Iron Soldiers." He smiles a bit smugly as he offers the freshly poured glass to Obadiah.  
Stane approaches, but rather than take the glass, he leans over the leader of the Ten Rings, holding what appears to be a silver contraption shaped almost like a flash drive. He pulls down on the silver bit and the thing starts to glow red, just as a high pitched ringing comes screeching out of it.  
**Recognizing that noise Tony froze, eyes widening as his breath started to speed up again. Swiftly, he popped open the bottle of anxiety pills and swallowed one. Closing his eyes he ignored Rhodey, Peter, and Bruce's suspicious and worried eyes as he rubbed his neck where he remembered the pain all those years ago coming from. **  
Raza tenses, but Obie, who clearly has earplugs in, simply stares him down and allows the ringing to continue.  
Raza's breathing speeds up and his head snaps forward as a cascade of blue veins appears on the side of his head like webs.  
**Rhodey's eyes widened, having not known exactly what had happened that day he looked at the panicking Tony in horror.

"Tones." he murmured.

"Don't" Tony choked out, "I don't want to hear it." Rhodey obliged but continued his worried glances.

 **"This is the only gift you shall receive," Obadiah says in Raza's native language. He straightens up, gazing down at the man who seems to be having difficulty moving. "Technology," he says, turning off the device and pocketing it, "it's always been your Achilles heel in this part of the world." He reaches up to remove the earplugs and puts them away with the device.  
He glances back at Raza's worried face as he starts making his way towards the exit, "Don't worry. It'll only last for 15 minutes," he says, rubbing his hand over the terrorist's head as he walks out, "That's the least of your problems."  
When Obadiah steps outside, his men have rounded up all of the terrorists, who are kneeling with their hands over the heads. "Crate up the armour and the rest of it," he orders them. Making his way back to the SUV, he calls back, "Alright, let's finish up here."**

 **The last thing heard before Stand gets into the vehicle and slams the door is the sound of gunfire.  
** No one said anything. Unsure if they should or shouldn't be celebrating the death of these terrorists. **  
"Set up sector 16 underneath the arc reactor, and I'm gonna want this data masked. Recruit our top engineers. I want a prototype right away," he says into his phone as he's driven out of the camp.**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **A/N**

How'd you guys like the chapter? Remember to comment on what you thought or any questions! **  
**I am 99% likely to also be releasing another IronStrange one-shot today if I manage to write the prompt I got in a way that doesn't make me scream so make sure you check it out if that's one of your ships! **  
**See you next Weekend! **  
**:)


	27. The Mission

**"Hey," he said as soon as he saw her. "You busy? Mind if I send you on an errand?"  
Onscreen Pepper's hands were on her hips as she walked up to one of Tony's work surfaces.**

"She looks pissed," commented Sam.

"And so it begins." Tony sighed.

 **"I need you to go to my office," Tony went on. "You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests." He had walked over to the tabletop and now picked up a small jump drive, which he handed to Pepper. "It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they've put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading."**

"That won't go well." Loki quietly observed.

"Indeed." agreed Thor.

 **Onscreen Pepper looked sharply at Tony. He had now walked away and was in front of his desktop computer, scrutinizing the design. "And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?" she asked.**

"Nothing, just getting you to steal it for fun." Tony rolled his eyes, Rhodey stared at his friend unamused.

 **"Same drill," said Tony. "They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them."**

"The right thing to do," Steve said firmly. Tony looked at the Captain, a suspicious look on his face at this seemingly sudden support. Steve smiled hesitantly at the genius.

 **"Tony," said Pepper, and she laughed without mirth. "you know that I would help you with anything, but -" Her face hardened. "- I cannot help you if you are going to start all of this again."**

"Again?" Scott looked at Tony curiously.

"She… sort of shot down the hero thing the first time." Tony grimaced. "Wasn't a fan of the danger."

 **"There is nothing except this," said Tony. "There is no art opening, there is no benefit, there is nothing to sign." He turned to her, and his face was grim. "There is the next mission, and nothing else."**

Steve bit his lip remembering what he had said on the Helicarrier the first time they met. Guilt washed through him as he saw the opposite of his opinions on-screen.

 **"That so?" said onscreen Pepper, looking keenly into his face. "Well then, I quit." She threw the jump drive down on the table, and she turned and walked away.**

"Is she serious?" Bruce gaped.

 **"You stood by my side all those years while I reaped the benefits of destruction," said Tony, making her stop and turn around in the doorway. "And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?"**

"That's a dick move." Quill looked pointedly at Rocket at the 'walkout part' making Rocket huff.

 **"You're going to kill yourself, Tony," said Pepper. "I'm not going to be a part of it."**

"Still a dick move," muttered Quill.

 **"I shouldn't be alive," said onscreen Tony, turning away from Pepper and sitting down. "Unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do." He looked back at her, his eyes full of conviction. "And I know in my heart that it's right."**

"So destiny?" Wong gazed at Tony curiously.

"I guess." Tony shrugged.

"You guessed correctly," Stephen said mysteriously. Tony waited for a continuation but there was none.

 **Pepper was still staring at him. She blew out her breath in a long sigh. Then, after a moment, she came back to the table and picked up the jump drive. "You're all I have too, you know," she said.**

"So the only logical solution is for you to get married." Quill grinned triumphantly.

"Check," Tony replied, rubbing the ring on his finger.

 **Onscreen, Tony gazed after Pepper as she walked away.**


	28. The Traitor

**Credit for Transcript to ElrondsScribe on AO3**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **A set of elevator doors opened, and Pepper stepped out of them. She looked cautiously around as she walked. All three of the assistant's offices were empty.**

"This is not going to go well." grimaced Thor.

 **Onscreen Pepper pushed open the door to Tony's office, slipped inside, and shut it behind her. Pepper cast an uneasy glance over her shoulder as she walked to the desk (which was of course in the middle of the room right in front of the door) and sat down in front of the computer. She brushed the mouse, and the screen saver disappeared. A Stark Industries logo appeared on the screen, followed by a login and password box.**

"Nice screensaver." Scott commented appreciatively.

 **Pepper pulled the jump drive out of her purse and plugged it into the USB port. A red warning box with the words "Warning: Security Breach" appeared momentarily on the screen, blinking and blaring quietly. Then a box with lines of code appeared on the side, and in a moment the red box turned green and the words "Access Granted" replaced the warning.**

"The idea you can do that with a USB is never going to get old." smiled Sam.

 **The jump drive brought Pepper straight to a ghost drive, just as Tony had predicted, and she clicked the latest file. It opened, and a pile of shipping manifest documents flashed onto the screen in quick succession. The next file back yielded much the same results. But the file after that brought up a number of images of the Mk I with the words "Sector 16" on top of them.**

"Asshole." glowered Tony, then he remembered that the day the current scene was set, didn't have… the nicest ending. He shuddered slightly in the memory. Rhodey squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

 **"Sector 16?" murmured Pepper. "What are you up to, Obadiah?"**

"Just the usual illegal things," Clint said sarcastically.

 **But the next file was even more damning. It was a video. Tony was slumped in a chair, surrounded by men with the Ten Rings insignia hanging behind them, half a dozen guns trained on him. A voice was speaking, and the words were not in English except for the name "Tony Stark."**

Tony grimaced at the video, going back to tapping the Arc Reactor.

 **Onscreen Pepper clicked a box and typed "TRANSLATE" into it.**

"That's simple," Wanda muttered, trying to conceal the worry she was feeling for the redhead on screen.

 **"You did not tell us that the target you paid us to kill was the great Tony Stark," came the translated words "As you can see, Obadiah Stane, your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill Tony Stark has just gone up."**

"I'm honoured." Tony snapped bitterly. Most everyone sent worried glances in his direction.

 **Pepper started copying the files, all of them, onto the jump drive at once.**

 **"So!" said a voice.**

 **On-screen Pepper started and looked up. There was Obadiah Stane standing in the doorway.**

"Shit," swore Quill. Everyone was glued to the screen, in fear for Pepper. Tony had begun to tap the Arc Reactor more frantically, reminding himself Pepper was alright.

 **"What are we going to do about this?" asked Obadiah as Pepper sat in front of the computer, files copying away.**

"Nothing. She has every right to be there." Natasha answered. "She is Tony's PA".

 **Onscreen Pepper watched as Obadiah walked to a small side table on which sat a glass bottle with whiskey in it and a few drinking glasses. He picked one up and poured himself a drink.**

 **"I know what you're going through, Pepper," said Obadiah, his eyes on Pepper as she glanced back at the screen. "Ah, Tony!" He picked up the bottle and sniffed it. "He always gets the good stuff, doesn't he?"**

"Always." Tony crossed his arms, taking deep breaths to avoid another attack.

"Not as good as Asgardian ale though," Thor smirked.

"I prefer the Midgardian drinks." Loki hummed.

"When on earth did you manage to get a drink on Earth?" Clint asked suspiciously.

"Loki came to Midgard many times when we were younger." Thor boomed. The Avengers looked startled that he had been on Earth without their knowledge.

"W-what?" sputtered Clint. Loki was glaring at Thor as Thor answered.

"Before the whole thing in New York of course."

"I have found your Terran drinks disgusting." Drax blinked. Quill looked at him offended.

"Don't give him that face Peter." Gamora sighed. "You haven't drunk anything from here in decades."

"As fascinating as this discussion about alcohol is I think we should continue watching." Shuri rolled her eyes, gesturing towards the screen.

 **Onscreen Pepper just smiled and nodded, and when Obadiah looked down for a moment she picked up the paper, which was lying beside the computer, and slid the edge over the jump drive. Obadiah poured a second glass, picked it up, and came around the desk.**

Tony groaned slightly.

 **Pepper's hand was on the mouse. The last of the files copied. She hovered the mouse over the top of the screen and clicked "Screen Saver" as Obadiah came and stood behind her.**

"That was a close call." Vision breathed.

 **"I was so happy when he came home," said Obadiah, standing so close to Pepper that he was almost touching her. "It was like we got him back from the dead." He moved around and sat down on the desk beside her. "Now I realize - well - Tony never really did come home, did he?"**

"No, he just brought a better part of himself back." Steve retorted. Tony looked at Steve, confused about his defence. Didn't he disappoint the Captain?

" **He left a part of himself in that cave." Obadiah's eyes flickered to the screen saver, "Breaks my heart."**

 **"Well," said Pepper as he looked back up at her. "He's a complicated person."**

"Truer words were never spoken," Rhodey said solemnly. Tony rolled his eyes at his friend.

 **Obadiah took a sip from his glass.**

 **"He's been through a lot," Pepper went on. "I think he'll be alright."**

 **Obadiah looked over the woman in front of the computer. "You," he said. "are a very rare woman. Tony doesn't know how lucky he is."**

 _Far too lucky._ Tony thought to himself.

 **Onscreen Pepper looked down and tried to smile bashfully. "Thank you," she said. "Thanks. I'd better get back there." She got up, taking the paper and unplugging the jump drive in the process, and walked toward the door.**

"That was actually pretty smooth." Natasha complimented.

 **"Is that today's paper?" asked Obadiah, pulling Pepper up short.**

"Oh shit, he knows."

 **"Yes," said onscreen Pepper, turning around with a smile.**

 **"D'you mind?" asked Obadiah, coming up to her.**

 **"Not at all," said Pepper, handing it back to him. Her hand curled as he took it.**

 **"Puzzle," he said, matching her smile.**

 **"Of course," said Pepper, and she turned and walked through the open door.**

"That seems pretty passive aggressive," Scott observed.

 **"Take care," said Obadiah as she left. She looked back briefly at him standing in the middle of the office. She glanced down at the jump drive in her hand as she went. As soon as she was out of sight, Obadiah slammed the paper down on his desk and brushed his hand over the mouse. The screen saver vanished and up came the desktop with a box in the middle. The box showed the number 100, and the words "Download Complete."**

"Well fuck." Brunnhilde grimaced.

 **Obadiah ran his hands over his head and practically leapt to his feet. Pepper made her way down the stairs, clutching her purse.**

"Move faster." Steve urged.

 **"Ms Potts?" said a voice from in front of her. "We had an appointment," said Coulson as she came clicking up to him. "Did you forget about our appointment?"**

"Oh thank god." Bruce smiled. "Phil to the rescue."

 **"Nope, right now," said Pepper. "Come with me."**

 **"Right now?" said Coulson, getting up.**

 **"We're going to have it right now," said onscreen Pepper. "Yep, walk with me."**

 **"Okay," said Coulson, suddenly finding himself nearly running to keep up with her (he was not a tall man, and his legs were short).**

"He seems slightly confused." smiled Mantis.

 **Pepper glanced up and behind her. "I'll give you the meeting of your life," she said as she and the SHIELD agent passed out of view. "Your office." Behind and above them, Obadiah Stane stood watching.**

 **Next moment Obadiah Stane strode into what could only be Sector 16. A group of men in white lab coats were hovering around a station on the bottom of the great Arc Reactor, one of them on the phone. "Yeah, we've been working our best to do it," he said. "Absolutely, and we're -" The door slammed and he looked up to see Obadiah walking up. "I'm going to have to call you back," he said and hung up the phone.**

"They don't look like they're getting results," observed T'challa.

"Very perceptive." Shuri snorted.

 **All the assistants fled, leaving the one who'd been talking on the phone to face Obadiah. "Ah, Mr Stane, sir," he said. "Ah, we've explored what you've asked us to, and it seems as though there's a little hiccup - actually, ah -"**

 **"Hiccup?" asked Obadiah, looming dangerously over the unfortunate man.**

 **"Yes, to power the Suit," said the man. "Sir, the technology actually doesn't exist, so it's -"**

 **"Wait, wait, wait, the technology?" Obadiah's arm went around the smaller man's shoulders and his head came down till his face was about an inch away from the other's. "William here is the technology," he said, gesturing with his other arm to the Arc Reactor in front of them. "I've asked you to simply make it smaller."**

"It's not that easy." Bruce sighed.

 **"Okay, sir, and that's what we're trying to do," said William as Obadiah straightened up and gave him a moment's reprieve.**

 **Obadiah came just short of strangling the man. "TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE!" he thundered, poking William's chest with his finger. "WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!"**

"Because he's Tony fucking Stark." snapped Rhodey.

 **"Well, I'm sorry," said William. "but I'm not Tony Stark."**

 **Onscreen, Tony walked into his lounge just as his cell phone rang. He looked around, and then picked it up. It was Pepper.**

Tony stiffened, paling at what was going to come. Rhodey looked at him worried, not actually knowing what had happened.

 **He flipped open the phone and put it to his ear. "Tony?" cam Pepper's voice through it, and at the same instant a high, buzzing whine sounded in the room as a small device appeared beside his head.**

"No!" squeaked Peter, jumping. Tony flinched at the tone onscreen. Similar cried of distress filled the room.

 **Obadiah pulled the phone out of Tony's hand and hung it up. He eased Tony's head onto the back of the couch. "Breathe," he crooned. "Easy, easy."**

Tony was having trouble breathing currently. He leaned forward, putting his head his hands as he heart began to race. He could feel the fear in Rhodey, Bruce, and Peter's eyes on his back-back didn't register it as he tried to calm down.

 **Tony's reddening eyes followed Obadiah's hand as he tried to keep breathing. Obadiah held up the little device before his eyes. "You remember this one, right?" he said as he clicked it off. "It's a shame the government didn't approve. There are so many applications for causing short-term paralysis."**

"Asshole." snarled Quill, his mind pulling up the memories of his father's betrayal.

 **Obadiah got up and came round the couch. He pulled Tony's head around so that he was looking straight up into his face. "Ah, Tony," he said as he began to pull the little blue plugs from his ears. "When I, ah, ordered the hit on you -" Obadiah briefly leaned aside and reached into a bag for a tool. "I worried that I was killing the golden goose."**

"Way to say it." Rocket scoffed disbelievingly. At Obie's words, Tony flinched again, starting to ferociously rub his chest at the 'Golden goose.' comment.

 **Obadiah put the tool over Tony's shirt where the Arc Reactor clearly glowed through the fabric. "But you see, it was just fate that you survived then." He punched the handle, and the tool poked through Tony's shirt straight to the Arc Reactor underneath. Tony gasped and choked as the Arc Reactor was pulled from its socket.**

There was disgusted and horrified noises at the assault on screen. Tony leaned back in his seat, one hand shielding his chest and the other rubbing his forehead. Steve felt sickened, unable to keep his thoughts of Siberia cropping back up.

 **"You had one last golden egg to give," said Obadiah, his face lit up in the Arc Reactors glow. He leaned forward over Tony, the short cable dangling into the socket. "Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?" asked Obadiah.**

"That kind of defines an idea." hissed Rhodey. Fear for his friend (both onscreen and offscreen) in his features.

 **"Your father - he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"**

 _Probably a world with less death_ , Tony thought glumly.

 **Then, with a jerk, Obadiah yanked the cable up, the magnet dangling at the end of it.**

"Oh extreme utter and ultra shit."

 **The thief held up the glowing marvel before the eyes of its creator. "Oh, it's beautiful!" breathed Obadiah, turning it over in his hand. "Oh, Tony - this is your Ninth Symphony." He sat down beside Tony, still holding the Arc Reactor aloft. "Oh, what a masterpiece!" he said. "Look at that! This is your legacy! A new generation of weapons, with this at its heart!"**

"How long can you survive without it?" asked Gamora hesitantly.

"Minutes," muttered Tony, opening his eyes and trying to maintain some composure now everyone was looking at him.

 **Onscreen Tony choked and gasped, blood leaking from the ear visible on the screen, his body clearly fighting to keep him alive.**

 **"Weapons that will help steer the world back on course," continued Obadiah, "Put the balance of power in our hands - the right hands."**

"That is a load of bullshit." scoffed Sam. "The right hands my ass."

 **Obadiah leaned over and stowed the Arc Reactor away in a small case. "I wish you could see my prototype," he said, smiling down at the genius. "It's not as. . . conservative. .as yours. Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would've preferred that she lived. . ."**

"He doesn't hurt her though?" Thor asked worriedly.

"No, she was fine," Rhodey answered for Tony who was still fighting off a panic attack.

 **Tony's eyes slid over toward the older man as he got up and walked away, his black case held in his left hand.**

 **-o-x-o-**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter!**

 **Please leave a review of what you thought :) It makes me so happy to know that you like my fic**

 **See you next weekend**


	29. Good Boy

Hello again faithful readers :)

Thanks for all your great reviews and favourites!

I have added this work to a series and hope that IRON MAN gets done by the end of the month (Which probably won't happen but a girl can dream) as that's when I'm moving house and will be offline for a while :(

Anyway. Enjoy the chapter!

-o-

Transcript by Elronds Scribe on AO3

 **-o-x-o-**

 **The next shot briefly showed a street somewhere in Malibu, and then Rhodey driving with a cell phone to his ear. "What do you mean, he paid to have Tony killed?" he asked. "Pepper, slow down. Why would Obadi - okay, where is Tony now?"**

"Oh just dying. So the usual." Tony replied sarcastically. Rhodey glared at him in a _how can you joke about this?_ way. **  
"I don't know, he's not answering his phone," said Pepper worriedly. She was walking out of a SHIELD building flanked by about half a dozen agents, Coulson at their head. "Please go over there and make sure everything's okay. Thank you, Rhodey."  
** "The sooner you get there the better." Vision murmured worriedly. **  
She touched her earpiece and addressed Coulson. "I know a shortcut," she said.  
Rhodey swerved sharply and drove off for Tony's house.  
**"It must have been horrible to just find him almost dead on the seat." Mantis commented sympathetically. Rhodey flicked his eyes toward Tony.

"I didn't" He answered simply. Everyone was looking very confused.

 **The scene changed and Tony, obviously clinging to life, flung himself into an elevator.  
** "Are you kidding me?" gaped Scott. "How the hell are you still moving?"

"You have a remarkable resistance to pain," Stephen noted, his tone still maintaining the calmness he always seemed to hold.

"Thanks?" Tony said. "I guess it's just something I'm used to."

"That definitely isn't a worrying thing to say." Bruce sighed, wincing slightly.

"Honestly Brucie. Don't overreact. I was kidnapped a lot as a kid as well as… other things, and I had to build up some walls." Tony reassured him.

"Right." Rhodey rolled his eyes. " _Some._ " **  
Tony slid slowly down the wall of the elevator as it carried him down. When the door opened, he steadied himself against edge as he hauled himself over the threshold, every move clearly a terrible effort.**

"Honestly though how can you do that?" Scott interrupted again curiously.

"Why is everything we are talking about now related to my pain?" Tony crossed his arms looking irritated.

"Because we care, Tony." Natasha pointed out.

"Of course I had forgotten among all the betrayal that you guys _cared._ You didn't exactly notice when I went on missions injured, so it doesn't matter now." After Tony stopped speaking the room was filled with an increasingly awkward silence. The Guardian's looked at one another confused about, pretty much, everything. **  
Tony pushed himself forward, and his hand just managed to push open the door to the garage. There it sat on his desk: Pepper's gift to him, the old Arc Reactor. It was painfully far away, but it was there.  
** "Thank goodness for Lady Pepper." Thor smiled, completely ignoring the tension still clouding his friends. **  
Onscreen Tony fell to the floor, and began to crawl. Bit by bit, he made his way to the table on which sat the Arc Reactor.  
** "Come on man." murmured Quill softly. **  
Tony pulled himself up on a plastic bin and stretched up his arm as far as he could. His hand came just short of reaching the glass case before he fell back down to the floor.  
** "Dammit." groaned Brunnhilde, reaching down to the bottles littered by her chair to find one that wasn't drained. The room's awkward tension quickly changed to worry for Tony. **  
And then came the sound of a peculiar little whine, and down came a robotic arm with the Arc Reactor in its claw. Tony reached up for the case and looked up at Dum-E, who gave a little-concerned click.  
** Vision and Tony smiled at the robot on screen. **  
"Good boy," said Tony, and he dashed the case against the floor.  
** "Extremely good boy." **  
Obadiah Stane sat before a Suit which did not seem to be the Mk I, the Arc Reactor in his hand as he gazed up at the towering Suit. After a few seconds, he got up, and went up to his Suit (of which very little could actually be seen), and there connected the cable to the centre socket and pushed the unit inside. It went in with a click, and there was a mighty rumbling in answer from the Suit.  
** "That looks rather big." gulped Sam. Tony grimaced, partially from thinking about the Iron Monger and partially from seeing Stane's face.

"It was." **  
Obadiah gazed up at the Suit once more, and he smiled.**

 **Rhodey burst into the lounge. "Tony?" he called. "Tony? Tony!"  
** "About time you arrived." Tony teased, poking Rhodey's shoulder. Rhodey swatted him away smiling slightly. **  
Onscreen Rhodey tore down the stairs and into the workshop, and there lay Tony on the floor, doubled over next to the shattered glass.  
"Tony!" cried Rhodey in alarm, rushing over to him and turning him gently over. "Tony, you okay?"  
**"Never." Tony declared confidently. Rhodey rolled his eyes at him, trying not to think about how true that statement was. **  
Onscreen Tony's colour was already better (though not yet good) and the Arc Reactor gleamed in its socket as he gripped Rhodey's arm. "Where's Pepper?" he rasped.  
"She's fine," said Rhodey. "She's with five agents, they're about to arrest Obadiah."  
**"Why couldn't it have been just the five agents?" questioned Wong suddenly.

"She had to show them where Section 16 was." sighed Tony. **  
"That's not going to be enough," said Tony grimly.**

 **-o-x-o-**

Another chapter done! :)  
Remember to comment on what you thought or if you have any questions! You're comments mean so much and are so inspiring so I really appreciate it :)  
Same time next week


	30. The Final Battle

HERE WE GO! The Final Battle and the longest WTM chapter yet!  
This was going to be split into two parts but since I am moving house this week I won't be getting out a long chapter (the chapter just being the press conference)  
Thanks again for your awesome reviews guys! You really are all so amazing :)  
Enjoy the chapter!  
-o-

Transcript by Elronds Scribe on AO3

 **-o-x-o-**

 **A silver car followed by a line of black cars pulled up in the No Parking zone of the Stark Industries Factory. Pepper and Coulson climbed out of the first car, followed by all the other SHIELD agents. Pepper keyed them inside, and in they went in double file.  
** Tony narrowed his eyes slightly. Worry filling him even though he knew Pepper was fine. **  
"Section 16," said Pepper as the agents followed her around the large Arc Reactor. "Section 16 - there it is."  
Onscreen Pepper went straight up to a yellow door with the words "Section 16" painted in black letters on the lock the words "Authorized Technicians Only" painted under the window in red letters. She swiped her key, but aside from a soft beep, nothing happened. She swiped again, with the same result.  
**"Time for the super spy equipment Coulson." Clint grinned at the screen. **  
Onscreen Pepper turned around in frustration. "My key's not working," she said. "It's not opening the door - oh!" For Coulson had held out his hand behind him and an agent had placed something in it.  
"Wow! What's that?" said Pepper. "It's like a little device - it's like a thing that's going to pick the lock?"  
**"I think it looks more like a bomb." Rocket commented. Gamora sighed.

"Everything looks like a bomb to you Rocket."

"That is a valid point."

"I am Groot."

"That's because I can make everything a bomb." Rocket laughed maniacally causing the Avengers to send him uneasy looks. **  
Coulson had placed the thing on the lock of the door. "You might want to take a few steps back," he said as it began to beep.  
Pepper, Coulson, and the rest of the agents all retreated from the door a few paces and waited. Almost immediately there was a small explosion, and the door fell open.  
**"Told you." Rocket smirked proudly at Gamora who rolled her eyes not answering. **  
Obadiah looked up at the noise, and turned to the Suit, hopping across an aisle to reach it.  
** "Oh god." grimaced Peter. **  
"And here we go," said Pepper.  
Inside his workshop, Tony was putting on his own Suit with Rhodey looking on in wonder. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said.  
**"Ever since then the universe has been proving me wrong." Rhodey chuckled slightly.

"And Tony has been trying to get ahead of the universe with his constantly advancing armour," Bruce added smiling. Tony gave him a look of mock offence. **  
"Not bad, huh?" said onscreen Tony, and then, presumably to JARVIS, "Let's do it."  
He aimed a ray from his hand at the nearest of his cars, the one he'd crushed in the fall after his first flight, and sent it flying away from him.  
**"What do you have against the cars." groaned Sam mournfully. **  
Satisfied, onscreen Tony turned back to Rhodey.  
"You need me to do anything else?" asked Rhodey.  
Tony's mask went down. "Keep the skies clear," he said, and then he powered up and zoomed up through the holes in the ceilings and into the night sky.  
**"Yeah, the army wouldn't be very helpful with this if they were trying to blow him out of the air," Quill confirmed. **  
"Damn!" said Rhodey, staring up after Tony, and then he turned to look at the Mk II, unpainted but still impressive-looking. "Next time, baby!" he said, and he swung himself into one of Tony's cars and sped away.**

"Damn right." Rhodey grinned appreciatively. **  
Phil Coulson's face appeared at a window in a door, the other four SHIELD agents following behind with Pepper. He swung the door open, drew a pistol, and went inside very quietly. The others behind him followed suit.  
** Everyone quickly quietened down. Tension filling the room at the footage. **  
They were in what must be the heart of Obadiah's workshop, for it was quite dark and there were big tubes and pipes and railings and warning signs everywhere. Pepper was looking around anxiously as they went.  
** _Why couldn't you have just waited outside_? Tony thought miserably. **  
Then they rounded a bend and came upon the reconstituted Mk 1.  
"Looks like you were right," said Coulson. "He was building a Suit."  
**"I think that is just a smaller version." Thor grimaced. **  
"I thought it'd be bigger," said Pepper, and she looked up at a quiet buzzing noise behind her. Two cables which hung from the ceiling had obviously been recently disconnected from something and were still buzzing.**

"That isn't threatening at all." Shuri rolled her eyes. **  
The agents split up. Coulson took one agent and they vaulted over the railing next to them to go one way; another agent passed by a computer screen which showed various dangerous-looking upgrades to the Mk I Suit.**

"They really shouldn't be splitting up." Steve frowned at the screen. The other ex-shield/army agents nodded in agreement. **  
Coulson and the agent with him continued to make their way forward.  
Pepper was alone. She seemed to be following a trail of dangling still-buzzing cables, and she'd come to what was almost a curtain of chains which dangled from the ceiling.  
**"Shouldn't agents be _with_ her?" Sam noted. Again they all nodded. Tony glared at the screen, guilt still churning in him. **  
Pepper started around at a slight noise behind her, but as it was very dark back behind the chains she couldn't see much of anything. She stepped forward to look more closely. There was a clang. A mask lit up at the eyes.  
** "Oh Shit."

Something rose up, towering at a colossal height; the viewers only had a brief glimpse of it.

"Holy mother of fuck that is terrifying." **  
The glowing eyeholes of the mask saw Pepper, a target marked in red, who screamed and ran. And then, as Pepper came tearing around the corner and the agents turned, they saw it. The Suit was massive, easily ten feet high, and it swept aside anyone that stood in its path. The agents fired uselessly, but of course, could not damage the thing.  
** "This is the part where you run!" Brunnhilde bellowed at the screen. **  
Pepper was running for her life through the sector, the great Suit charging after her. An enormous metal claw of a hand lunged forward for her, and just barely missed her.  
** "Tony where are you…" muttered Natasha softly. **  
Tony flew through the sky.  
"How do you think Mk I's chest piece is going to hold up?" asked Tony of JARVIS.  
"The Suit is at forty-eight percent power and failing, sir," said JARVIS. "That chest piece was never designed for sustained flight."  
"Keep me posted," said Tony as he sped through the air.  
"Pepper?" came Tony's voice on Pepper's cell phone as she ran out of the Stark Industries factory.  
"Tony!" she cried. "Tony, are you okay?"  
**Tony grimaced for what felt like the thousandth time. Thinking of both the tearing out of the Arc Reactor and the fight that was about to happen. **  
"I'm fine!" said Tony.  
"Obadiah, he-he's gone insane!" said Pepper, pausing to talk to him. "He built a Suit-"  
**"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was always insane," Rhodey said. **  
"I know, listen, you'd better get out of there - get out of there right now!"  
But the pavement behind Pepper began to suddenly move and swell upward till it cracked and broke, and up from a hole in the asphalt rose the Suit, the gigantic Iron Monger. It stepped out from the hole and towered over Pepper.  
**"Again, Holy Shit." **  
"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Obadiah, his voice amplified and slightly distorted by the Suit.  
** "Super far away from you, I think." Quill snarled at the screen. **  
Pepper backed away with a scream as Obadiah lifted an arm. "Your services are no longer required!" he said, and a barrel of enormous rounds on top of the arm began to spin.  
"STANE!"  
**"Jesus Christ that timing." Scott breathed. **  
At the last possible moment, Tony's red-and-gold Mk III had come barreling down out of the heavens and sailed directly into the Iron Monger.  
Too big and slow and heavy to react in time, the Iron Monger was knocked backwards out of Stark Industries grounds and onto the busy thoroughfare outside.  
**Wanda winced sympathetically for the citizens in the vehicles who must have completely lost their shit at the sudden appearance of these two death machines. **  
Tony sailed into the side of a truck, but Obadiah landed on the street in the middle of an intersection. Cars swerved to avoid the beast of terror, but Obadiah grabbed a car and threw it over his shoulder as it tried to pass.  
** "Ass." hissed Brunnhilde. Loki squirmed in his seat next to her. Praying video's of the Chitauri invading New York wouldn't be shown.

 **The other cars began slamming into each other as they skidded away from the chaos, but one minivan with a woman and her children inside it came to a screeching halt right in front of the Iron Monger. They screamed in terror as their mother slammed on the brakes.  
** "Please no," begged Scott. **  
Obadiah clanked to his feet and grabbed the minivan, lifting it into the air above his head.  
** Everyone let out cries of horror and anger. **  
"I love this Suit!" cried Obadiah as he turned toward Tony, the minivan full of screaming children dangling from his grasp.  
** "I hate you in the suit." Tony snapped back. **  
"Put them down!" Tony demanded.  
"Collateral damage, Tony," said Obadiah, stamping forward.  
**"The FUCK!" Clint yelled at the screen. "What kind of asshole kills a family and calls it Collateral-fucking-damage!" **  
"Divert power to chest RT," said Tony to JARVIS, lowering his hands.  
The chest piece took a moment to power up before throwing out a blast that sent the Iron Monger flying backwards and made him let go of the minivan.  
Tony caught the minivan, but his Suit was not as bulky as Obadiah's. He stood wobbling under the weight of the car as he tried to hold it up.  
**"Oh thank god." **  
"Power reduced to nineteen percent," said JARVIS as Tony struggled to hold up the minivan.  
** "That… isn't very good." Rhodey said worriedly.

"Very astute observation Honeybear." Tony smiled weakly at his friend. **  
Tony sank to one knee. The woman slammed on the gas, and the minivan came down on the ground with a thud. It took off down the highway as Tony clung to the hood.  
"Lady!" shouted Tony in protest as he began to slide down the hood. "No, no, no, no, no -" The minivan rolled over him as he slid down to the ground.  
**"Oh my god." Shuri bit back a snort. Tony rolled his eyes at her.

"Glad to see you're concerned." **  
"Ugh!" grunted Tony as he lifted the back wheels to keep from being crushed. Then he rolled over as he let go, and the minivan sped safely away.  
For Obadiah was charging up the street toward Tony with a roar and a jump that took him another ten feet into the air. Just as he reached Tony, a motorcyclist came zooming in between them. Obadiah grabbed the motorcycle and sent Tony flying backwards with it. A nearby bus had skidded to the side of the road, and now its doors opened and frantic passengers began climbing out of it and running away, many of them screaming.  
Obadiah ran forward and grabbed Tony, flinging him high into the air. "For thirty years I've been holding you up!" he bellowed. Then he threw Tony back down on the ground and stamped on him with his huge right foot. "I built this company from nothing!" He reached down to pick Tony up with his hand, or claw, again. "Nothing's going to stand in my way!" He hurled Tony into the bus right through the side, which thankfully was now empty. "Least of all you!"  
**Everyone quietened again. The tension returning at full force. Tony was keeping a carefully blank face. **  
A large projectile opened from the shoulder of the Iron Monger and aimed itself straight at the ruined bus. It fired an explosive into the bus, which went up in flames with a bang.  
The force of the explosion sent Tony sailing up into the air again, and as he came down his flight repulsors came to life. He went from falling to hovering upright in the air in a moment.  
"Impressive!" cried Obadiah with a laugh. "You've upgraded your armour! I've made some upgrades of my own!"  
And then the Iron Monger lifted off the ground and began to ascend through the air, its flight repulsors using as much force as a small spaceship and letting off about as much smoke.  
**"Well shit." **  
"Sir," said JARVIS. "It appears that his Suit can fly."  
** "JARVIS definitely got his attitude from you," Natasha commented carefully. Tony smiled slightly in memory of his old AI. **  
"Duly noted," said Tony. "Take me to maximum altitude."  
"With only fifteen percent power, the odds of reaching that altitude -"  
"I know the math!" snapped Tony, looking down as the Iron Monger approached him. "Do it!"**

Concerned glances were once again sent Tony's way and once again. He ignored them. **  
And JARVIS obeyed. The Mk III took off toward the clouds while the Iron Monger flew up in pursuit after it.  
From the lot of the SI factory, Pepper watched worriedly.  
For a moment there was a shot of the Iron Monger chasing the Mk II, followed by a view of a military surveillance screen.  
**"Now isn't a good time for you to interfere," Peter muttered, worried for his mentor. **  
"Sir, you're not going to believe this," said the young private sitting in front of the screen. "That thing is back!"  
"Get me, Major Allen," said his superior. "Scramble the jets."  
The private picked up the phone by his desk, but a hand came down and prevented him. "Not necessary, people," said Rhodey, looking around the room. "Just a training exercise."  
**"Told you that excuse is the best," Tony muttered to an unamused Rhodey. **  
"Yes, sir," mumbled the young man, staring up at the Colonel and putting down the phone.  
Tony sailed up, away from Obadiah, and for a moment it looked as if he might really be getting away. But then the Iron Monger sped up, and for all its bulk began to give real chase.  
"Thirteen percent power, sir," said JARVIS.  
"Climb!" barked Tony.  
"Eleven percent," said JARVIS.  
"Keep going!" said Tony.  
The Arc Reactor in the middle of the Mk III began to flicker. "Seven percent," said JARVIS.  
"Just leave it on the screen," said Tony. "Stop telling me."  
**The tension increased with every announcement. Shuri, Peter, Rhodey, and Bruce, however, were slightly less tense than the others. Having realised what was happening. **  
And then Obadiah reached out and grabbed Tony's foot, yanking him down so that Tony's helmet was on a level with his own. He wrapped his other hand around the neck of the Mk III.  
"You had a great idea, Tony!" bellowed Obadiah as his helmet crusted with ice. "But my Suit is more advanced in every way!"  
**"I think you mean more 'murderous psychopath' in every way." sneered Wanda not entirely taking note of the face she had just defended Tony. **  
But Tony said, "Yeah? How'd you solve the icing problem?"  
** Realisation hit everyone else and a collective 'ohhhh' went through the audience. **  
"Icing problem?" asked Obadiah as the lights inside his helmet suddenly began to flicker before going out entirely.  
"Might want to look into it," said Tony, and he knocked on the top of the helmet with the back of his hand. The Iron Monger began to fall, and great indeed was that fall.  
**"Take that you piece of shit." Cheered Quill. **  
Onscreen Tony hovered where he was, watching the fall of the Iron Monger until JARVIS said "Two percent," and the Suit started sputtering and falling short distances at a time as the flight repulsors went in and out. "We are now running on emergency backup power."  
** "That justice was short-lived," Drax noted in his oddly calm voice. **  
"Whoa!" said Tony as he went down. He managed to land safely on the roof of his factory, falling onto his knees as he did. He climbed to his feet and said, "Potts?"  
"Tony!" cried Pepper with a gasp. "Oh, my God, are - are you okay?"  
"I'm almost out of power," said Tony, peeling off one glove of the Mk III as he spoke and lifting the visor of his helmet. "I've got to get out of this thing. I'll be right there -"  
But a great clanking thud behind him put a stop to that as the Iron Monger appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  
**"For Fuck's sake!" **  
"Nice try!" said Obadiah as Tony whirled around, mask flying back down.  
Obadiah aimed a punch at Tony's head. Tony ducked, and flung out his right hand - but his right hand was bare. He glanced at it, distracted just for a moment, and Obadiah dealt him a blow that sent him spinning back through the air.  
**Everyone was on the edge of their seats in worry. All of them looking terrified for Tony. **  
Tony landed on hands and knees a few feet away, jumped up, and made a flying leap at Obadiah, punching him with his left hand (which was still gloved). Obadiah caught him by the arm and then grabbed him around the middle of the Suit with both hands. With a growl, he began to squeeze.  
"Weapons status," choked Tony as the plates of metal began bending and twisting and little pieces of the Suit popped out behind him.  
"Repulsors offline, missiles offline," said JARVIS.  
**"How the hell did you win." gaped Scott. **  
Obadiah smiled inside the helmet as the claws of his Suit slowly destroyed the Mk III.  
"Flares!" cried Tony, and though there was not enough power left for a real spurt of fire, there was enough to send a series of sparks at the Iron Monger that made him Obadiah drop Tony as he tried to right his helmet.  
"Very clever, Tony," said Obadiah to that individual.  
**"It's what I do best," Tony smirked.

Stephen raised an eyebrow at Tony unamused by his ego. Wong noticed, rolling his eyes at Stephen.

"Like you're any better." He whispered to him. Stephen immediately glared at Wong. **  
Tony, who seemed to have somehow got around a corner while Obadiah wasn't looking, peered cautiously around it as Obadiah clanked around the roof. His screen was cracked but still appeared to be functioning.  
"Potts?" he said again, more quietly this time so Obadiah wouldn't hear him.  
"Tony!" cried, Pepper.  
"This isn't working," whispered Tony. "We're going to have to overload the Reactor and blast the roof."  
**"Oh." **  
"Well, how are you going to do that?" asked Pepper.  
"You're going to do it," said Tony. "Go to the central console, open up all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I'll let you know. You're going to hit the bypass button, it's going to fry everything up here."**

"You will have to get away really quickly," commented Bruce. **  
"Okay," said Pepper, carefully making her way back into the factory, the floor of which was showered with glass (in three-inch pumps, no less). "I'm going in now."  
** "Why did she choose to do this in heels," Natasha muttered to herself. Clint heard, looking at her amused. **  
"Make sure you wait until I'm clear of the roof," said Tony. "I'll buy you some time." And he ducked out of sight as Obadiah came his way.  
Inside the factory, Pepper pulled down switch after switch.**

"Why are there so many switches." sighed Steve.

"Well, I doubt they normally want people to blow up the huge glowy thing," Sam smirked at him. Steve turned slightly pink.

"Fair enough." **  
Tony managed to jump up on the back of the Iron Monger. Obadiah growled and tried to turn, but he was too late. Tony, clinging to the neck of the Iron Monger, had just got a glimpse of something in the base of its helmet that JARVIS brought up for a closer look. The words "Weak Point Located" appeared next to the icon.  
"This looks important!" said Tony triumphantly, and he gripped the thing with his bare hand and yanked it out. The IronMongers helmet sputtered threateningly, looking like it was about to go out again.  
Pepper pushed a row of square, glowing buttons one by one**

"Hurry up…" breathed Thor worriedly. **  
Obadiah tried to reach behind his head for Tony, twisting from side to side. He succeeded before long and threw Tony right onto the glass panes that were directly above the middle of the large Arc Reactor below. Pepper twisted a row of dials.  
** "Oh shit." Bruce's eyes widened in realization. "You stayed on the roof?" Tony shrugged in response looking slightly guilty. **  
Upon the roof, the chest pieces of the Iron Monger folded back and its helmet opened to allow Obadiah's head to emerge.  
"I never had a taste for this sort of thing," said Obadiah, looking down at the Mk III helmet that the viewers had not before noticed he was holding. "But I must admit, I'm deeply enjoying the Suit!" He crumbled the helmet to a twisted lump of metal and threw it next to Tony.  
**"I never would have thought." Rocket commented sarcastically. **  
Tony raised his head to look up at Obadiah.  
"You finally outdid yourself, Tony!" said Obadiah as the Iron Monger clanked forward. "You made your father proud!"**

At the comment about Howard Tony looked down, wincing slightly as memories of his childhood and guilt about their murder fought inside him. **  
Tony climbed to his feet, no doubt ready to begin another assault, but at that moment Pepper pushed the last buttons and flipped open the cover of a large red one.  
"It's ready, Tony," she said. "Get off the roof!" Tony heard her through the crumpled helmet next to him.  
**"Yes, Tony. Get off the roof." agreed Bruce. Peter nodded along. **  
Obadiah smiled at Tony and began shooting out all the glass around Tony's feet. Tony held up his arm, but nothing in it was working. He started to fall as the glass under his feet broke, and he clung to the metal bars for dear life.  
** The tension was at its peak as the obvious ending to the situation hit everyone. **  
Pepper screamed as a shower of glass came down on her, for she was now directly under the spot to which Tony was clinging.  
Obadiah continued to shoot out all the glass, sending another rain of shards down on the unfortunate Pepper. She looked up and saw Tony dangling many feet above her.  
"Tony!" she screamed.  
"How ironic, Tony!" cried Obadiah. "Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever!"  
**Tony winced again, guilt flaring up in him once more. Rhodey looked at him worriedly, squeezing his shoulder slightly in comfort. **  
"Pepper!" bellowed Tony, his eyes fixed on his enemy.  
"And now," said Obadiah. "I'm going to kill you with it!"  
Obadiah lifted his arm and shot a small missile that exploded at the side of the roof (actually quite a distance from Tony).  
"You ripped out my targeting system," said Obadiah, taking another step forward.  
**"That's what that was." Mantis's eyes widened as she nodded in understanding. **  
"Time to hit the button!" shouted Tony down at Pepper.  
"You told me not to!" wailed Pepper.  
**"And now I'm telling you to." Tony breathed. **  
"Hold still, you little prick," said Obadiah, lifting his arm again. This time the missile bit off a piece of the roof behind Tony - somewhat better, but not much.  
** "Don't hold still." **  
"Just do it!" shouted Tony.  
"You'll die!" howled Pepper.  
**Steve was drowning in guilt over every thought he had about Tony over the years when he clearly was willing to give his life to save people. **  
Obadiah took aim again, and this time (though he still didn't hit Tony) the explosion caused Tony to lose hold with his bare hand. "Push it!" he shouted.  
Pepper punched the button and raced away from the station as the Reactor came to life and filled the room with charges that could have individually powered a house each. Then it sent a blast of power up to the roof which blasted Tony aside and struck the IronMonger's smaller Reactor. Obadiah gave a cry as the resulting shock sent a bolt of electricity into the heavens, causing a streak of lightning and a clap of thunder.**

"That looks horrible." Wanda's eyes widened at the bright light of the screen. **  
But Obadiah was dead before the Suit even began to fall, clanking its way down through the factory into the great Arc Reactor. There was a burst of flame that nearly caught Tony as he rolled away from the hole in the roof.**

"Jesus Tony," Bruce gaped at the screen along with half of the other viewers. **  
Then, slowly, the air cleared. Tony lay unmoving, the Arc Reactor flickering feebly. "Tony!" came the voice of Pepper, and whether it was an echo of memory or really her voice no one could tell.**

Everyone held their breath. Seeming to forget that Tony was in fact, in the room. At that moment they just felt fear for the fallen hero. **  
The Arc Reactor went out, and the screen went dark.**

 **-o-x-o-**

Oh my god, that took a long time to write :)  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
Remember to review on what you thought or any questions! Your reviews are so amazing and really make my day so again appreciate them :)

See you next week guys


	31. I Am Iron Man

Hello again people :)  
Thanks for your awesome Reviews once again! They really brightened me up during the horror that is moving house.  
Here's another chapter, enjoy!

-o-  
Transcript by Elronds Scribe on AO3

-o-x-o-

 **On the screen of a television, a press conference was being streamed live. Rhodey was standing at the podium, the same one from which Tony had delivered his fateful company turnaround statement after Afghanistan.**

"Oh this is beautiful." grinned Tony. Rhodey sighed, shaking his head fondly.

 **"You've all received the official statement of what occurred at Stark Industries last night," Rhodey was saying. "There have been unconfirmed reports that a robotic prototype malfunctioned and caused damage to the Reactor. Fortunately, a member of Tony Stark's personal staff. . ."**

"I always knew you made up your own personal staff." Bruce teased, Tony smirked at him. His attitude returning now the damage was over.

 **But the view was now moving outward, and the viewers could see that the television was behind a couch where Tony was currently sitting reading a newspaper and being attended to by Pepper. The headline ran, Who is the Iron Man? and there was a picture of Tony's Mk III that somebody had taken during the street fight the night before.**

"That's where the name came from." realized Steve. Tony nodded.

"Gold Titanium Alloy Man didn't have the same kind of ring to it, so I decided against pushing for it to be changed." At Tony's commented Peter choked back a chuckle.

 **"Iron Man," said Tony experimentally. "That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean, it's not technically accurate, the Suit's a gold-titanium al-loy -" he winced as Pepper pulled a bandage off the bridge of his nose. "- but it's kind of evocative - the imagery, anyway."**

"You don't change." snickered Brunnhilde.

 **"Here's your alibi," said Phil Coulson, who was standing nearby, and he handed Tony a set of blue cards.**

"Oh, Coulson." sighed Natasha fondly. "As if Tony would ever listen to the alibi."

 **"Okay," said Tony as he took them.**

 **"You were on your yacht," said Coulson.**

"Believable," commented Scott, smiling slightly.

 **"Yeah," said Tony absently as he read the cards.**

 **"We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night," said Coulson. "and sworn statements from fifty of your guests."**

"Damn, The government works fast." whistled Quill.

"SHIELD was good at that." grimaced Clint, thinking of SHIELD's fall.

 **"See," said Tony. "I was thinking maybe we could say it was just, ah, just Pepper and me alone on the island." He looked impishly up at Pepper.**

Bruce scoffed.

"Real smooth."

 **Pepper pulled another bandage rather severely, with a smile that said "don't you even think about it", and began applying makeup to cover the scars.**

"These Terrans have almost as much unresolved sexual tension as you and Gamora," Drax observed to Quill, making Gamora glare at him.

 **"That's what happened," said Coulson.**

 **"All right," said Tony, looking back down at the cards.**

 **"Just read it word for word," said Coulson.**

 **Tony frowned. "There's nothing about Stane here."**

 **"That's being handled," said Coulson. "He's on vacation. Small aircraft have such a poor safety record."**

Tony narrowed his eyes. Stane deserved his entire reputation ruined, not to be remembered as a rich guy who died in a plane accident.

 **"But what about the whole cover story that it's a bodyguard?" Tony clearly wasn't having any of it. "I mean, that's kind of flimsy, don't you think?"**

"Definitely flimsy," Rhodey said seriously. "Tony is far too arrogant to admit he needs a bodyguard." Tony rolled his eyes as several people chuckled.

 **"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr Stark," said Coulson. "Just stick to the official statement and soon this will all be behind you."**

"That was clearly never going to happen." Vision commented smoothly.

"Thanks for all your faith guys," Tony said sarcastically.

 **Pepper finished making Tony up and smoothed her hair behind her ear.**

 **"You've got ninety seconds," said Coulson, and he turned to go.**

 **Pepper hurried after him and stopped him at the door. "Oh, Agent Coulson," she said. "I just wanted to say, thank you very much for all of your help."**

 **"That's what we do," said Coulson. "You'll be hearing from us."**

 **"From the Strategic Homeland Interven-" began Pepper arching her eyebrows.**

 **"Just call us SHIELD," said Coulson, and for a moment his impassive smile seemed more genuine as he turned and walked away.**

"Did it really take them that long to think of the acronym?" Scott laughed.

"I think it was for dramatic effect." Sam grinned.

"Sounds like Coulson," Clint smirked.

 **"Right!" said Pepper, and she trotted over to pick up Tony's suit-jacket. "Let's get this show on the road."**

 **"You know, actually, it's not that bad," said Tony, getting up. "Even I don't think I'm Iron Man."**

"Like that's ever going to happen." Rhodey snickered.

"Can you go one second without commenting on my ego?" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Well, it is quite distracting," Stephen replied for Rhodey, without even looking away from the screen.

"Yes." Tony grinned at Rhodey. "Thank you."

"I was commenting on your ego. Not Colonel Rhodes' comments." Stephen corrected. Rhodey burst out laughing at the highly offended look on Tony's face.

 **"You're not Iron Man," said Pepper, helping Tony into the jacket.**

 **"Am so!" said Tony, gripping the cards between his teeth as he got his arms into the sleeves.**

 **"You're not!" said Pepper.**

"That argument didn't at all continue on the podium," Bruce muttered.

 **"All right, suit yourself," said Tony. "You know, if I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend who knew my true identity - she'd be a wreck, 'cause she'd always be worrying that I was going to die," he pulled the cards out of his mouth and turned around. "yet so proud of the man I'd become. She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more -" he cleared his throat as Pepper straightened a folded square of silk in his buttonhole. "- crazy about me - tell me you never think about that night."**

"How long does it take you to hook up." groaned Rocket.

"Far too long." sighed Rhodey. "It was cute at first, but after the first several years it got tiring."

 **"What night?" asked Pepper.**

 **"You know," said Tony.**

 **Onscreen Pepper looked up into his face for the first time. "Are you talking about - the night that we danced?" she asked. "And went up on the roof, and then you - went downstairs to buy me a drink and left me there by myself? Is that the night you're talking about?"**

"Interesting topic to bring up," Shuri smirked.

 **"Mm-hm," said Tony, deflating visibly.**

 **"Thought so," said Pepper, straightening his jacket.**

 **There was about an instant's silence during which onscreen Tony's eyes rolled up and away from Pepper's face.**

 **"Will that be all, Mr Stark?" said Pepper.**

 **"That will be all, Ms Potts," said Tony at the same moment, and he left in rather a hurry.**

 **"And now, Mr Stark has prepared a statement," said Rhodey down in the conference room, and then as the reporters began to pipe up he added, "He will not be taking any questions. Thank you."**

"Didn't stop them did it?" Tony whispered to Rhodey who glanced unamused at his friend.

 **Rhodey stood aside, and Tony came up to the microphone. "Uh. . ." he trailed off, clearly a bit out of balance. "...been a while since I was in front of you, I figured I'll just stick with the cards this time."**

"Biggest lie ever told."

 **The press people all chuckled.**

 **Tony cleared his throat, and Pepper watched the live stream from upstairs.**

 **"There's been speculation," Tony began. "that I was involved in the events on the freeway and on the rooftop -"**

 **"I'm sorry Mr Stark," broke in an all-too-familiar voice. "But do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you -"**

"God, not her again." groaned Brunnhilde.

"She is truly manipulative." Thor agreed, he looked unconsciously at Loki as he said manipulative. Loki noticed.

"Yes brother, you discovered my evil plan. I go around, disguising myself as a reporter to specifically get arrogant do-gooders to reveal their secret identities as superheroes." Loki scoffed at Thor who looked slightly awkward.

 **"I know that it's confusing," said Tony, making a face. "It is one thing for you to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero -"**

 **Christine smirked. "I never said you were a superhero," she said.**

"Uh oh."

 **"You didn't," Tony backtracked. "Well good, because that would be outlandish and, uh, fantastic -" he looked back down, and Christine arched her eyebrows sceptically.**

"Oh Tony." sighed Rhodey tiredly.

 **"I'm just not the hero type, clearly," said Tony. "with this, uh, laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public. . ."**

"Way to convince yourself." chuckled Sam.

 **Rhodey put his mouth to Tony's ear. "Stick to the cards, man," he whispered. Tony nodded.**

 **"Yeah, okay, yeah," said Tony, seeming for a moment to pull it together and holding up the cards to look at them again. "Truth is. . ." He looked up, and his face went completely blank.**

Everyone who knew about the next statement held their breath as the room's tension grew.

 **"I am Iron Man."**

"Beautiful!" cried out Clint, bursting into laughter.

"You are such a child sometimes." Natasha smiled at her partner.

"Why would you do that though?" Scott asked, genuinely curious. "What about protecting people close to you?"

"Well, I am Tony Stark, so there is a target on my back and everyone close to me's back anyway and I didn't need the extra stress of a secret identity." Tony grimaced.

 _Your life is so stressful right now_ Wanda thought bitterly.

 **Instantly the press conference room was in an uproar and every reporter sprang to his or her feet - all except, of course, for Christine Everhart.**

 **Tony almost smiled for a moment, and then the screen went dark.**

"So then it must be over?" Tony clapped his hands and was about to stand up.

 **But then the screen lit up again, and it opened on Tony's lounge as he came in. "JARVIS!" he called.**

 **"Welcome home, sir," said JARVIS, but something seemed to be wrong with him, and his voice distorted oddly on the sir.**

The tension returned for those who didn't know what was happening.

 **Tony walked forward a step or two and halted. Behind the couch, in the shadows of the room, stood a tall figure wrapped in something dark.**

"Oh, Nick." Natasha realized immediately.

 **"I am Iron Man," said the familiar voice. "You think you're the only superhero in the world?"**

"At the moment you were." Rhodey nodded.

 **The shadowed form of the former director of SHIELD turned to the large window. "Mr Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."**

 **"Who the hell are you?" asked Tony.**

 **The stranger came forward into the lamplight, which gleamed on a long black trench coat and a black eye patch. "Nick Fury, director of SHIELD," he said.**

Those who didn't know nodded in understanding.

 **"I'm here," said Nick Fury. "to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative."**

"And so it began," Natasha stated calmly.

-o-x-o-

I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED IRON MAN!  
ONE CHAPTER LEFT!  
SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!

Oh Wanda, you stubborn fool... You'll get used to Tony sometime :)  
I'll try and write the conclusion sometime this week.  
Remember to comment what you thought/any questions! They are always so amazing!

See you soon loyal readers!


	32. The End

OH MY GOD, THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Sorry, it took so long guys! I got utterly distracted by Spiderman PS4 in all its glory.

Thank you all for the amazing comments! You guys who have actually stuck with me are the best people!

Enjoy it!

-o-

I dedicate this final chapter to Stan Lee, who created a universe that I adore and found way more interesting and beautiful than the one we live in. Thank you, Stan, for your incredible work and writing that changed the world and my life. Excelsior!

RIP

-o-x-o-

As the screen went dark. Everyone stayed silent. After several beats of silence Tony (of course) spoke up.

"Now that that's done. Where's the food?"

"Only you could act so casual after that." sighed Rhodey. Tony shrugged. Inwardly he was having conflicting thoughts of horror, panic, and fear. But those weren't exactly conflicting. Moreso brain damaging.

"You okay Mr S-Tony?" Peter asked seriously. Tony smiled and nodded.

"Always kid." he lied easily. The awkward silence fell again. Then T'challa stood up making everyone stare at him. He silently moved towards the DVD player and took out the disc, placing it back in the box.

"Well." He began, "There are a lot of other discs here so I suggest we take a break and maybe even rest."

"Agreed, that was definitely a tiring experience." Quill nodded. "So food, sleep, then continue?"

"That works." agreed Tony, although he knew there was roughly a 0.07% chance of him getting any decent sleep. Promptly he jumped up and headed confidently to the side room. Luckily, the empty bottles from earlier had disappeared. Swiftly he grabbed the bottle of pills he had left on the table and slid them into his pocket just as everyone entered.

"Okay, so what are we supposed to eat?" Peter asked curiously. Almost as soon as he spoke, several dozen boxes of pizza appeared on the table. Tony almost heard the table groan in protest at the sudden weight.

"Okay, then." Peter smiled slightly and began to rummage through the boxes looking for his desired toppings.

As everyone swarmed on the pizza, Tony sighed, sitting down in the armchair he had occupied earlier. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered what had driven him to this room originally. Tony ignored the occasional anxious glances being sent his way by almost everyone. After retrieving their pizza, everyone scattered around the room. Still, Tony noticed, drawn to their 'teams'. Except for the Guardians who were being very loud and talking to half the room. And Loki, who curiously, was not eating and instead sitting in an identical armchair on the opposite side of the room to Tony with his eyes closed.

"Tony?" Rhodey sat down beside him, practically forcing pizza into his hands. "Eat something." Tony hummed, not really paying attention. After Rhodey continued to stare at him intensely for several seconds Tony finally answered.

"Not that hungry, I'll eat later." Rhodey groaned at his answer.

"You better."

Steve was deep in thought about everything. He had seen things in this… film? That worried him. Well, more accurately, made him ashamed. He hadn't known this somehow and never bothered to ask Tony. Instead, he had assumed Tony had just decided to become a superhero. Which, now he was thinking about it, was incredibly thick. The thing that greatly disturbed him though was how similar he had sounded to Stane. With the whole, 'the safest hands are our own.' speech. Although Steve was actually right unlike Stane. Oh, how had Howard never noticed?

Steve was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed Bucky was still not talking. He looked at him worriedly.

"You alright Buck?" Bucky jerked his head up, looking alarmed.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just, you didn't really say… well, anything for the entire thing."

"Oh yeah," Bucky stared back as the slice of pizza he was holding, his brow furrowed slightly. "It just seemed wrong."

"Wrong?" Steve echoed.

"Yeah, to be commenting on someone else's life like that. God knows I wouldn't want someone to watch my life." Steve was speechless. Suddenly feeling embarrassed that he hadn't even thought about it, so desperate to know more about Tony. To understand him.

"Oh." Steve finally said.

"Don't worry Stevie, I'll probably speak later." Bucky teased lightly. Steve's lip twitched. He observed the room. Natasha was discretely observing Tony, who, quite frankly, looked exhausted. Clint was standing looking Wanda, both seemed deep in thought as they ate. Both incredibly troubled. Sam was chatting with Scott, seeming, at first glance, unbothered. In fact that was the state of most everyone in the room. But the tension surrounding everyone was clear. All of them unsure of how to react to what they had seen.

Once again, Tony couldn't sleep. After everyone had disappeared down the hallway to the bedrooms, Tony had quietly returned to the kitchen, fetching a trustworthy bottle of scotch. If this stupid thing kept on going on, then Tony would be needing more than a bottle of scotch. Not to mention that he would end up collapsing from exhaustion. There was no way he was going to sleep. No way. He knew that even shutting his eyes would bring up the nightmares that would have intensified with every scene of horror he had just relieved on-screen. Tony sighed. Why was Syn punishing him. I mean, he could understand the why. But seriously? Going to all this trouble just to torture Tony? Well. He knew one thing. It was definitely working.

You know what else was working? This scotch. Man. The foggy mindedness never felt so good. Now he could actually close his eyes without being reminded of his screams and pain. Unlike earlier. When every time he even blinked, a pain would stab his chest, right over the arc reactor. Tony grimaced, rubbing his chest as another sharp pain went through him.

"You know…" began a quiet voice from behind Tony. "We never did have that drink." Tony turned quickly, coming face to face with Loki. At the offer, Tony began an internal argument. On one side, Loki was an evil god constantly desiring revenge. On the other, Loki was… there isn't really another side.

"Pull up a chair Reindeer Games." Tony found himself saying anyway. Loki's eyes narrowed slightly at the nickname, but he sat down anyway.

"You need a glass." Tony pointed out. Loki sighed, a glass appearing in his hand. Tony blinked, he didn't really like magic.

"Well then." Tony poured the god a generous amount of alcohol before turning back to his own glass. "Can you even get drunk on this stuff?"

"Unless I drink a substantial amount, no I can not," Loki replied coolly. "Shame really."

"Hmm," Tony replied then paused. "Wait, why are you awake? Shouldn't you be asleep in your custom green pyjamas?"

"I don't need as much sleep as you Midgardians," Loki replied simply, ignoring the comment about pyjamas.

"Well, then when was the last time you slept?" Tony asked, suspicions subsiding as curiosity took over.

"I don't know." Loki pondered. "Probably about a month ago?" Tony whistled.

"Damn, I assume that isn't good? I mean, Thor was constantly asleep when staying in Avengers Tower. He was either asleep or eating all my food."

"Yes, Thor." Loki stared at his now empty glass intently, it instantly refilled.

"Firstly, I need to learn that. It would be so incredibly useful for both coffee and alcohol. Second, you didn't answer the question."

"You are incredibly nosy aren't you?" mused Loki. "Maybe I should throw you out another window."

"Only if you want me to kick your ass." Tony retorted. He had not been expecting this. In fact, this sort of banter was the last thing he had expected in this conversation.

"Like you could." scoffed Loki.

"Try me, Snape."

"Snape?" Loki raised an eyebrow.

"He's a character in this wizard book series," explained Tony. "He's sort of evil and has greasy hair. It fits perfectly." Tony snickered at the expression on Loki's face.

"Right." Loki glowered.

"Don't look so down, it could be a lot worse." joked Tony. Loki rolled his eyes, draining what was already his dozenth glass.

As the night wore on, Tony got drunker and drunker, Loki only mildly feeling the effects after his hundredth glass.

"We are all so messed up." Tony slurred, his expression half tired, half angry.

"That might be the only true thing you have said in this conversation," smirked Loki, Tony glared at him half-heartedly.

"It's true thought. It's quite easy to tell all of us have had shitty lives. Tortured, and betrayed, and controlled, and abused. All of it." Tony turned sharply to Loki. "But you. You are very intriguing. I mean obviously, your family was shitty to you for whatever reason. But why did you do the things you did? Clearly, you regret New York, so…" As Tony trailed off, Loki remained emotionless. He debated on answering before deciding, Tony was likely to forget half of what was said here tonight anyway.

"Just what you listed," Loki replied simply. "Hel, I don't want it shown on screen. Thor will get horribly mushy and that is always irritating."

"Right," Tony answered sluggishly. "Honestly. I've been awake for 47 hours now and with all the alcohol, am about to pass out so." Tony clumsily stood up, instantly falling over. He lay on the floor groaning as Loki stared at him.

"I don't want to go to sleep." Tony half groaned half whimpered. Honestly, he was so drunk it was hard to tell. "I'll end up screaming and waking everyone up and then they will hate me even more." Loki sighed, unwillingly feeling empathy for the collapsed genius.

"You are an idiot." Loki muttered as he raised his hand and teleported himself and Tony to one of the empty rooms clearly meant for Tony. Tony instantly collapsed on the bed, still groaning. Loki considered leaving him there to have his nightmares but a betraying piece of his conscience protested. Loki sighed heavily as he muttered a simple spell to clear the man's mind. Rolling his eyes slightly, Loki left the slumbering genius to finally get some sleep.

-o-x-o-

Okay so,

I just threw in some Loki magic at the end since I am highly irritated about how they barely included his magic in the MCU when he was pretty OP in the comics. Also just so you know, I am in strong belief about the theory of Loki's torture by Thanos before Avengers, so that will come up later.

I am taking a short break before continuing this series. Since I have a lot of other fics on my to-do list, but I will try to continue writing by Christmas at the latest! :)

A thank you to ElrondsScribe and Airbrushed for letting me use their transcripts for Iron Man!

Also, thank you all for reading this and remember to comment what you thought to make my day :)

The next disc will have Iron Man 2 clips on it, per the request of some of you guys

See you next time :)


	33. IMPORTANT Authors Note

Look, guys, I'm just going to give it to you straight.

I'm super sorry but I will be rewriting this fic series as I just don't feel it anymore.

Mostly because it is really irritating me about how there are so many canon inconsistencies. Mostly Scott and Clint were supposed to be on House arrest and blah blah blah.

So I'm going to rewrite it from the beginning but I will be making sure I write faster so I can get Iron Man redone quickly.

If you are interested in that when it comes out then just subscribe to me as an author.

Again, I'm sorry if this fic was your jam. :(

Lp37451

p.s There will still be a hella lotta Tony angst and team cap vs team iron man tension so don't fear too much.


	34. REWRITE IS POSTED

Hey everyone,

Letting you know the first chapter of the rewrite is posted

-Lp37451


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